Dusk
by Mossyfire the Cat
Summary: Brownpaw is a kind fellow with soulful brown eyes and a black, brown, and white pelt. He's also a dog. And being the first dog apprentice in Clan history is not an easy job; along Brownpaw's path of success, there's brothers, nervous deputies, enemies, and love. Tensions are rising in the Clans, and even Brownpaw is wondering how long it'll be before everything falls apart.
1. Allegiances and Prologue

**Hey guys, here is the allegiances and prologue for Dusk, the sequel to The Dog Apprentice! However, if you stumbled upon this and haven't read The Dog Apprentice, instead of making you read that, I'll give you a summary of it here. **

**The Dog Apprentice: A small puppy, unsurprisingly named Pup, was discovered on ThunderClan territory by new deputy Harescar on a patrol. Pup insists that he likes cats and asks to join the Clan. He is accepted, and renamed Brownkit. He grows up alongside his adoptive mother, Skyclaw, and adoptive brother, Frostkit, but problems arise with his adoptive father, Minnowcloud, and other brother Streamkit. Brownkit soon realizes that he's driven the family apart, and struggles to keep them together with little success. Meanwhile, Harescar has difficulty managing his new high position. When he notices that he feels differently toward Brokenstar than he thought, he must admit his true feelings to her. **

**That's basically where we are right now. Still Minnowcloud issues, and BrokenxHare's kinda rocky relationship.**

**So here we go:**

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**Allegiances**

_**ThunderClan**_

**_Leader,_** **Brokenstar**\- light brown she-cat with yellow eyes **(Apprentice: Brownpaw)**

**_Deputy,_ Harescar**\- ginger tom with amber eyes and a long scar down his side

**_Medicine Cat, _****Ratpelt**\- dark russet-orange tom with amber eyes

**_Warriors,_** **Shorthaze**\- short-legged tabby tom with amber eyes

**Willowberry**\- soft-furred gray she-cat with big blue eyes

**Minnowcloud**\- slick gray tabby tom with river-blue eyes, half RiverClan

**Birchfur**\- light brown tom with amber eyes

**Beechflight**\- tall pale tabby tom with green eyes

**Skunkflight**\- thick black-and-white tom with green eyes **(Apprentice: Dewpaw)**

**Firetail**\- tabby tom with a bright ginger tail and green eyes **(Apprentice: Breezepaw)**

**Rainsnow**\- gray-and-white she-cat with blue eyes **(Apprentice: Streampaw)**

**Flashnight**\- black tom with a white muzzle and yellow eyes

**Berryfang**\- ginger-and-white tom with green eyes **(Apprentice: Frostpaw)**

**Skyclaw**\- light brown tabby she-cat with white chest and paws

**Sandpebble**\- sandy-colored tom with green eyes

**Leopardtooth**\- pale spotted tom with blue eyes

**_Apprentices, _****Dewpaw**\- dark gray she-cat, green eyes

**Breezepaw**\- sleek black she-cat with shiny fur, green eyes

**Brownpaw**\- black, brown, and white male dog, brown eyes

**Frostpaw**\- white tom, blue eyes

**Streampaw**\- pale gray tom, blue eyes

**_Queens, _****Lightningdrop**\- dark gray queen with startling yellow eyes (Mother to Flashnight's kits: Creamkit, a cream-colored tom; and Hazelkit, a light-colored she-kit)

**Cherryfur**\- tortoiseshell queen with pale brown patches and yellow eyes (Mother to Birchfur's kit: Sparklekit, a shiny-furred tortoiseshell she-kit)

**Hopepuddle**\- thin white queen with gray patches and mellow blue eyes (Mother to Firetail's kits: Orangekit, a gray tabby tom with bright ginger legs; Marigoldkit, a dark yellow she-kit; and Furrykit, a mottled brown-and-white tom)

**Birdspring**\- dark brown tabby she-cat with a distinctive spotted chest and amber eyes (Expecting Beechflight's kits)

**_Elders, _****Blackstorm**\- old black tom with a gray muzzle

_**ShadowClan**_

_**Leader,**_ **Coldstar**\- dark black-and-brown tom with ornery amber eyes

_**Deputy,**_ **Dullnight**\- smooth-furred black tom

**_Medicine Cat, _****Voleeyes**\- old brown tom with failing sight **(Apprentice: Littlepaw)**

**_Warriors, _****Indigowhisker**\- black tom with indigo-blue eyes and long whiskers

**Ambermask**\- dark gray she-cat with a ginger head and amber eyes

**Scarcloud**\- battle-scarred, mottled black tom

**Ivywing**\- tortoiseshell she-cat with a white underbelly, chest, and paws

**Creekmeadow**\- ginger tom with blue eyes

**Owlleaf**\- dark brown tom with a spotted chest

**Jaysnow**\- gray-and-white she-cat with blue eyes

**Rowanfall**\- dark ginger tom

**Kestrelfrost**\- brown-and-gray tom with white paws

**Lionnose**\- golden tabby tom with a distinctive gold nose **(Apprentice: Morningpaw)**

**Moontooth**\- silver tabby she-cat

**Tornears**\- dark tabby tom with shredded ears

**Softpelt**\- furry gray she-cat

**_Apprentices, _****Littlepaw**\- pale tabby tom, medicine cat apprentice

**Morningpaw**\- tortoiseshell she-cat

**_Queens, _****Larkear**\- dark tortoiseshell queen with torn ears (Mother to Scarcloud's kits: Flowerkit- black-and-brown she-kit, Pouncekit- light ginger tom, and Blossomkit- black she-kit with blossom-shaped white patches on her pelt)

**Blizzardtail**\- white queen (expecting Indigowhisker's kits)

**_Elders, _****Sparrowfoot**\- dark brown tabby tom

_**WindClan**_

**_Leader,_** **Secretstar**\- silver tabby she-cat

**_Deputy, _****Thrusheye**\- gray-brown tom with green eyes

**_Medicine Cat, _****Shallowfrost**\- dark tabby she-cat with white paws

**_Warriors, _****Pebblefall**\- gray tom with darker flecks **(Apprentice: Tulippaw)**

**Applesmoke**\- light brown-and-gray she-cat **(Apprentice: Yowlpaw)**

**Mistyclaw**\- black tom with gray claws

**Streamwhisker**\- gray she-cat with long, flowing whiskers **(Apprentice: Featherpaw)**

**Sweetherb**\- tortoiseshell she-cat **(Apperentice: Echopaw)**

**Hiddenscar**\- gray tom with white chest and paws **(Apprentice: Hawkpaw)**

**Rosestem**\- white-and-cream she-cat with a pink nose

**Brackenstripe**\- fluffy gray-brown she-cat

**Boulderpelt**\- dark brown tom

**Silverheart**\- silvery gray-and-black tom

**Ashflame**\- gray she-cat with fiery yellow eyes

**Finchchirp**\- small white she-cat

**_Apprentices, _****Tulippaw**\- pure white she-cat

**Yowlpaw**\- talkative black tom

**Hawkpaw**\- ginger tabby tom

**Featherpaw**\- black tom

**Echopaw**\- black-and-white she-cat

**_Queens, _Amberface**\- gray queen with amber eyes (Mother to Boulderpelt's kits: Fieldkit- wiry brown tom, Peatykit- muddy brown she-kit, Fuzzkit- gray-and-white tom, and Sheepkit- long-furred white she-kit)

**_Elders, _****Crowbeak**\- black-and-white tom with sharp teeth, retired early due to leg injury

_**RiverClan**_

**_Leader, _****Honeystar**\- friendly golden tabby tom

**_Deputy, _****Freewhisper**\- light brown tabby she-cat

**_Medicine Cat, _****Cloudfloat**\- soft white she-cat

**_Warriors, _****Calmbrook**\- light gray tabby she-cat **(Apprentice: Rollingpaw)**

**Wingfeather**\- long-haired black-and-white she-cat **(Apprentice: Bluepaw)**

**Whisperbreeze**\- black-and-white she-cat **(Apprentice: Wolfpaw)**

**Goldenfinch**\- dark ginger she-cat

**Secretheart**\- thin white she-cat with brown patches

**Nightstep**\- gray tom with black paws

**Silentecho**\- gray-and-white tom

**Owlscreech**\- black tom with a dark yellow muzzle

**Ravencry**\- black tom with dark yellow paws

**Mintleaf**\- ginger tabby tom

**Mountaindapple**\- dark tortoiseshell she-cat

**_Apprentices, _****Rollingpaw**\- plump pale gray tabby tom

**Bluepaw**\- bluish tabby she-cat

**Wolfpaw**\- bright ginger tabby she-cat

**_Queens, _****Ebonystrike**\- jet-black queen (Mother to Ravencry's kits: Marshkit- dark gray tom, Cattailkit- pale brown she-kit, and Frogkit- black she-kit)

**Iceglade**\- white queen with dark brown markings around the face and ears (Expecting Silentecho's kits)

**_Elders, _****Moonshine**\- old black tom

**Firestalker**\- dark gray she-cat with orange markings and blazing amber eyes

_**Cats outside Clans**_

**Bracken**\- golden-brown tabby tom with blue eyes (loner)

**Tallie**\- pretty gray tabby she-cat, Bracken's mate (loner)

**Skye**\- dark gray tabby she-cat with cream underbelly and orange eyes (rogue)

**Roxane**\- dark brown tabby she-cat with light cream underbelly and chest; light green eyes (rogue kit, Skye's daughter)

**Logan**\- black she-cat with dark amber eyes (loner)

**Maggie**\- beautiful honey-golden she-cat with green eyes (loner)

_**Other Animals**_

**Carly**\- young yellow female Labrador puppy

**Tuffy**\- black-and-tan male puppy with pointed ears

**Prologue**

She paused, staring ahead of her. Her black pelt blended into the night. The only thing making her visible was the moonlight that outlined her thin frame.

The path at her paws was far from worn and well-used. It was almost freshly-made, the crushed grass trying to lift back up again. She hissed at no one in particular and swiped at a clump of weeds, snagging some on her claws. After shaking her paw thoroughly for several moments, the weeds came flying off and landed somewhere in the long grass in the distance.

She ground the earth below her with her talons, feeling impatient. Where was her companion? Just when they had started to get along, and she goes and disappears-

"I'm here, sorry," breathlessly, a golden she-cat with fur the color of honey emerged from the bracken fronds. Coincidentally, cicadas chirped from deep within the tickly weeds, as though marveling at her arrival.

The dark-furred female rolled her eyes. It was always like this. The other she-cat was so gorgeous, it seemed like any animal they passed had an instant attraction to her, even stupid bugs. "What took you so long?" she demanded.

"Well, I wanted to make sure we're at the right place." The gold female beamed and jumped excitedly like a kit. "And we are!"

Not nearly as ecstatic, the first she-cat sat down and ran a moistened paw over a set of whiskers. "Good. So how close are we to the ones we want?"

The second cat spun around looking back the way she came. "S- sorry, thought I heard a noise." She flattened her prickling pelt. "Um, maybe thirty fox-lengths or so. We've still got a bit to go. After all, we can't just storm in there and expect them to-"

Before she could finish her sentence, two huge shapes leaped out from behind the undergrowth, teeth bared. Both she-cats screeched in alarm. Dogs!

"Mangy cats not be here," one growled in choppy language. "We get them and kill." He was slightly bigger than the other canine, with a black back and tail, and a brown underbelly and chest.

"Wait," the other dog instructed. She was a very bright creamy color, with a slim but furry tail. She turned and fixed her mud-brown eyes on the pair of trembling felines. "Why you here?" she barked.

The black she-cat tried to recompose herself, since her friend wasn't going to do it. "Um, we- we here to investigate," she stammered as best as she could in dog-speak, or at least what it sounded like to cats.

The female dog tilted her head. "Investigate what?"

"The cats…"

The bigger animal nodded.

"… that live here."

She laughed. The dog laughed! She nudged her fellow canine. "Hey, they here for Clans," she snorted. "Stupid Clans." Her chortles quickly ended and she returned to her serious expression. "Go on. We want no silly cats on territory."

She didn't have to say it twice. With nervous spits, the black and golden she-cats raced off closer to their destination.

**OoOoO**

Farther up the slope, two other she-cats were traveling toward the lake.

"Mama, I'm _tired_," whined the smaller of the two, almost a kit.

"You're going to have to hold out a little longer," the older cat, a dark gray tabby, informed her daughter. "We don't have suitable shelter around here yet."

The she-kit heaved a sigh and trudged along, falling behind her mother.

A little while later, the gray she-cat gasped in surprise as she glimpsed the scenery before her. There was the lake, the lake she had been searching for so long, ever since she had been traveling with her mother. For generations in her family, mother and daughter had traveled together, trying to find a good place to live. And, now, she had achieved this with her kit. This ended the traveling stage. She looked down at her dark brown tabby daughter. _She won't have to travel with her own offspring. Now this begins the settling stage. _

She flicked her tail at her daughter and meowed, "Roxane! Let's go! We're here!"

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**Did you like the new allegiances format?**

**So I used the short, crappy prologue to introduce four new characters in the "Cats outside Clans" section. **

**So about the new loner/rogue characters:**

**Back in December, Song of the Felines PMed me asking to include her two OCs, Skye and Roxane. Here they are!**

**As for Logan and Maggie, they're based on my two good friends in real life! I will try to make their personalities match the people as best I can XD**

**See you at chapter one.**


	2. The New Hunting Crouch

**Hey guys, my apologies D: I had writers' block, and now that I'm busy with school again, it's getting more difficult to find time to write. However, I have the most inspiration from this story, so if any story of mine is updated it will be this one, as much as I can!**

**I've decided that, from now on, instead of replying to every single review with "lol" or "XD", I'll just answer questions or something that stands out from the others. So, please don't be offended if I don't answer the ol' colon + 3 to your review. Trust me, I read every single review posted, and everything counts to me, so don't be afraid to even post a simple comment on a chapter. I don't need too much feedback for three pages' worth of work, but any is appreciated.**

**Someone mentioned in the previous story that Brokenstar mentoring Brownpaw is pretty clich****é, and I totally agree! It's just that I planned this almost since I started TDA over a year ago; and, don't forget, there's meaning behind everything. The Clan leader mentoring the main character will become very important later on.**

**I have also been asked about BrokenxHare kits. That will come into play later in this story :)**

**And, finally, Brokenstar's name came into question, if she is disliked because of it. I'd say that it was a bit jarring to cats first, hearing that she was named Brokenkit, since it seems like a cruel name. But she was named that in order to be named Brokenwing when she became warrior, because her mother Willowberry had this crazy belief that she used to be a graceful bird that had her wings clipped; therefore Brokenwing. But, when Brokenstar became leader, that was kind of lost, so now she has the same name as the evil former ShadowClan leader. But no, I don't think she's hated because of her name.**

**Enjoy this chapter! It will be alternating Hare/Brown POV again, starting with Harry.**

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He still marveled at how big the territory was.

Following behind Brokenstar and Brownpaw was difficult when there was so much to be distracted by, so much to still look at.

"I feel like an apprentice again," Harescar purred. "And like it's my first time out of camp."

Brownpaw's tongue lolled as he nodded in agreement. "And it's not even my first time out!"

Brokenstar looked at him pointedly out of the corner of her eye, but her features still sparkled with amusement.

It had been a half-moon since Brownpaw, Frostpaw, and Streampaw were apprenticed. In that half-moon, Brownpaw's main source of training had come from Harescar, who took time after organizing patrols every dawn to trot down to the small hollow with the puppy and share his knowledge. The reason for this was because Brokenstar had been reported as ill a lot lately, and the only way for Harescar to crush down his immense worry for his mate was to get out and train alongside Berryfang, Rainsnow, and their apprentices.

_It's strange to see my own former apprentice training a young cat of his own, _Harescar thought to himself, feeling his chest warm a bit from pride. _And he's doing wonderfully. Sharing all my wisdom that he gained from me with Frostpaw. _

Four-and-a-half moons had passed since Brownpaw joined ThunderClan, but to the ginger deputy it seemed like just yesterday when he stumbled upon the trembling lump with Birchfur, Cherryfur, and Rainsnow. That was early newleaf, and now it was the dead of greenleaf. The sun's heat pressed down on the three animals' coats as they trekked through a part of the forest where the trees were more thinned out. Brokenstar looked especially hot, her longer pelt stuck in wet clumps still from a hasty and clumsy grooming.

Brokenstar dropped her a pace a little, allowing Brownpaw to bound ahead, leaving his stinky dog breath to the air ahead.

"It's such a relief to be out of my stuffy den," the light brown she-cat remarked to her mate, sticking her tongue out in similarity to her apprentice as she said this.

"I don't know if I would describe it as stuffy," Harescar laughed a bit as he recalled how huge, chilly, and spacious her den used to be to him, until he started sleeping in it.

"Only you," snorted Brokenstar, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. She swiftly leaned to her right and licked his cheek. "I'm sorry I haven't been feeling well," she added, this time much quieter.

Harescar frowned and rasped his tongue over her ears in return before stating firmly, "No need to apologize. It's not your fault. And in case you haven't noticed, ThunderClan has been running _smoothly _while you were resting." He lashed his tail playfully.

"_Sure_," Brokenstar joked, smiling. She squeezed her eyes shut a moment and gritted her teeth, but immediately returned to a slightly strained grin and glanced at her deputy. "So what have you taught Brownpaw?"

"I tried not to pack too much into his brain, but mostly just the common hunting crouch, and a couple simple battle moves. I'll have him review for you," Harescar answered.

The cats circled back around, following Brownpaw's familiar scent trail weakened by garlic, just in case there were enemy trespassers curious about dog-scent in ThunderClan's territory. Finally the pair found the juvenile dog, doubled over and panting heavily at a gap in the undergrowth where one of the entrances to the training hollow was. "I found it!" he announced haughtily before stumbling into the small clearing coated with thick, cushiony moss perfect for battle training.

Harescar relaxed a bit as the abundant soft green filled his vision. So many memories filled his mind from here: with Shorthaze as an apprentice; with Berryfang as a mentor; and now, again, like a mentor to Brownpaw. But this time he sat aside, observing as Brownpaw demonstrated the hunting crouch and a few other things to Brokenstar.

"Outstanding," praised Brokenstar as she moved around the floppy-eared creature, nodding in approval at his lifted rump, still tail, and forelegs flattened to the ground.

Harescar was glad, too, until he noticed Brownpaw wince in pain and jump up. Brokenstar blinked at him, furrowing her brow. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry," Brownpaw barked immediately. "I guess it's just… an unnatural position for me. I feel like my body isn't constructed to fit that way, if that makes any sense."

Brokenstar studied him for a moment. "Well, you shouldn't feel discomfort whenever you hunt." She hesitated, then decided, "Try this. Stand completely still, and only adjust what I tell you to. First, keep your tail lowered."

Brownpaw obeyed, rooting his paws to the ground in a standing position and then keeping his tail limp, hanging near the mossy ground.

"Lift your muzzle slowly- yes, just like that. Normally, if you were really hunting, you would scent your prey. C- can you, er, open your jaws and smell through your mouth?"

"Through my _mouth_?" Brownpaw exclaimed in surprise, but he kept the rest of his body unmoving as he parted his jaws, nose quivering. "I thought you were just doing weird exercises when I saw you all-"

Brokenstar smirked. "Then you probably can't," she mewed gently. "But don't worry; using your nose is fine. Just sniff quietly. Despite the tiny ears squirrels have, they had pretty decent hearing."

Brownpaw nodded curtly, nostrils flaring as he took in scent. "And I have to do something with the wind?" he murmured in question.

"Yes," Brokenstar's slim head bobbed up and down. "You need to sense the wind direction, to make sure your prey won't scent you first. How do you think you can do that?"

Harescar watched as Brownpaw thought. _I can almost see the gears turning in that furry head of his, _the tom said to himself in amusement.

"Well, I can feel the wind in my ears," Brownpaw started slowly, as if he was unsure if this was correct. "Again, maybe it's just because I- I'm different, but…" He stiffened, staring straight ahead. "Like this? See how I'm just- well, the air is kind of still here."

Brokenstar beamed encouragingly. "Good thinking. If that works for you, then wonderful. Today is too sweltering to get an accurate idea of the wind's path, but as we ease into leaf-fall, you'll definitely pick it up. Okay, we're almost done here. Prick your ears, keep sniffing, mouth closed. Just breathe quietly, no matter how much you have to… 'pant'."

Brownpaw copied her direction entirely, tucking in his slimy pink tongue and keeping his dark, beige-colored eyes focused ahead of him. His wrinkled ears stood erect, and for a few heartbeats Harescar expected him to dart forward to capture some prey right then.

The Clan leader looked very satisfied. "Yes, just like that. Now, for stalking…"

"How's he doing?" Skyclaw asked anxiously, padding up to Brokenstar and Harescar as they slipped through the ragged thorn tunnel, Brownpaw going immediately to Frostpaw by the apprentices' den.

"He's extraordinary, for sure," Brokenstar assured the tabby warrior.

When her kits were made 'paws, many cats thought that Skyclaw would stay a queen, since she had only been warrior for a short time before having her kits when she joined ThunderClan, having originally been a loner. However, the she-cat confirmed that she would leave the nursery to make room for others- probably meaning Beechflight's mate, Birdspring, expecting kits again miraculously after her near-fatal injury.

Even if this meant that she slept in the same den as Minnowcloud, Harescar figured that they weren't even close to getting back together again. After splitting up over disagreements with having Brownpaw in their family, the ginger male assumed the two cats slept in nests on opposite sides of the den.

"Wonderful," Skyclaw purred, dipping her head to the two high-ranked cats. She flicked her tail at her younger son, Frostpaw, who was conversing excitedly with Brownpaw. "Berryfang has told me he's having trouble mastering his hunting crouch." She rolled her eyes. "He keeps wiggling his hindquarters instead of keeping still."

Brokenstar nodded. "Brownpaw had difficulty as well, but we found a different way for him to hunt. Rather than crouch, he stands."

Skyclaw raised her brows. "Nice! I don't mean to challenge your method with him, but isn't he tall enough to be seen by prey?"

Harescar piped up, "I doubt it, Skyclaw. He blends in pretty well. Lucky he doesn't have much white in the mottles of his pelt."

Just then, Streampaw burst into camp, Rainsnow limping in behind him. Chest puffed out, the pale gray apprentice marched across camp and straight to his father, Minnowcloud, who was waiting for him by the sunning rocks in the center of the clearing. Rainsnow, lifting one paw gingerly off the earth, gasped as she shuffled over to Brokenstar, Harescar, and Skyclaw.

"Whatever happened?" Skyclaw inquired, open-mouthed.

"Stepped on a thorn," Rainsnow grumbled, ears flattened in embarrassment. "That I swear was not there a moment before."

Harescar dropped his raised tail. "Where did you step on it?"

The gray-and-white she-cat sighed, flinching away from her enflamed pad. "On the way back. Streampaw told me to backtrack so he could show me a cool stick. He seemed much eager about it than he usually is ever, so I decided to go back. Then, when I started back on the same path, I looked down and found this stupid thing in my paw," she growled, annoyance flashing in her azure eyes as she thrust forward her front left paw, revealing a big thorn embedded deep in the flesh, blood welling around the offensive object.

Brokenstar looked at it with a sniff. "Sorry about that. I haven't seen any thorns around in a while. But you might as well get that checked out by Ratpelt before it gets any worse."

She didn't have to tell Rainsnow twice. Right away the dappled warrior headed to the medicine den. Skyclaw said her farewell and went to speak with Frostpaw and Brownpaw.

Harescar walked with Brokenstar as the brown she-cat, face creased strangely, climbed up to her den. Something nagged at him to ask her if she was okay, but he knew he would only irritate her and insist she was fine. _I'll bother her about it later. _"So, who was your first apprentice?" he asked her casually. "I don't really remember who you trained before Brownpaw."

Brokenstar tensed as she slid into their cave. "What?" she mumbled.

Knowing full well she heard him, Harescar just went on, "You had to have an apprentice at some point to be eligible for deputy position, unless Squirrelstar had bees in her brain."

His mate sighed, collapsing into her nest. Harescar sat tenderly in his, which was pressed up against hers as if it was one big clump of moss and bracken. "Mountainleap," she answered simply. "You don't remember sharing a den with Mountainpaw?"

"Barely," Harescar answered, some images of a bony silver-gray cat with hollow green eyes returning to him. "W- what happened to him?"

"Died two days after he was named a warrior," Brokenstar replied simply. "Like all that I taught him was for nothing." The scorn was palpable in her voice, and Harescar continued to dig deeper, trying not to let his curious make her even more bitter.

"How did he die?"

Brokenstar swung her head around and looked right at him. "Fell off a cliff."

* * *

**Just over three pages since I felt like it :'D**

**Kinda ominous ending, hm? This "cliff" you shall learn about soon enough. Something I always imagined somewhere off the lake territory, so just be patient and I'll explain my theory!**


	3. The Surprised Mentor

**I'm SO sorry about not updating! Please forgive me, and thank writers' block and distracting things such as school. Remember kids: eat your vegetables, don't do drugs, and WE DON'T NEED NO EDUCATION!**

**Ahem. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter with the first Brownpaw POV of Dusk. I will try to finish as many other things as I can, so I'll end this now before I get carried away.**

* * *

"You're not far from apprenticeship," Brownpaw assured Creamkit and Hazelkit, wagging his tail gently and holding in his tongue so he wouldn't slobber all over Creamkit. "You're only a moon younger than Frostpaw and I, so you're at least five-and-a-half moons now."

Creamkit groaned and turned to stomp away. "It seems like I've been stuck in the nursery _forever_!" he declared, stamping his paw. "I demand justice! I demand I be made an apprentice _now_!"

Hazelkit, his sister, rolled her eyes and nudged her littermate playfully. "As if. I think I can wait a half-moon to be made a 'paw." She eyed her scowling sibling warily. "But I'm not sure you can wait."

Brownpaw recalled when Brokenstar offered him to be apprenticed two moons early, but decided not to mention this now. He dipped his head in farewell to his former denmates and then weaved through a thin group of cats to get to Frostpaw. Just before the puppy could greet his brother, however, Frostpaw's mentor Berryfang strolled up to the young cat.

Brownpaw shuffled off to the side, standing and making himself look busy washing one leg, all while keeping his ears pricked to "overhear" Berryfang and Frostpaw's conversation. The young dog knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but this was just merely a chat about Frostpaw's training, right?

"So, I want to take the hunting crouch to the next level for you," Berryfang began, lashing his white-tipped tail determinedly.

"Do we have to?" Frostpaw whined. Brownpaw was slightly surprised. He had always thought the white apprentice was eager to learn anything and everything possible.

Berryfang frowned. "Well, Harescar taught me in steps like this," the ginger-and-white warrior meowed, a slight edge to his tone. "Do you have something else in mind?"

Frostpaw nodded, his fur suddenly bristling with excitement. "Well, Brownpaw was telling me about this new and cool hunting stance he does," he chirped thoughtfully. "I was wondering if I-"

"How would I know how to do that?" His mentor scoffed. "And besides, that hunting… stand or whatever is between Brokenstar and Brownpaw only."

Brownpaw tried not to feel upset by this. _I thought Berryfang was a pleasant cat. I suppose he doesn't like to have his mentoring ways challenged. _

Frostpaw flattened his ears. "Please?" he begged. "I'll still do the normal crouch, but what if I can't do it the traditional way and I need another method?"

"Yes, a broken hindquarters is very common," Berryfang replied, adding under his breath hotly, "when hedgehogs fly."

Defeated, Frostpaw followed his mentor out of camp until a sigh, noticing Brownpaw as he turned. For a couple heartbeats he was frozen, looking a bit stunned he had heard all that. Then he just mumbled something Brownpaw couldn't make out and left.

A half-moon scampered by, faster than a mouse fleeing from the claws of a cat. Brownpaw found himself sitting at Creamkit and Hazelkit's ceremony, dark thoughts turning the usual crystal-clear of his mind into murk.

"… as they have reached the age of six moons, it is time for them to be named apprentices. I give you Creampaw and Hazelpaw, until they have earned their warrior names," Brokenstar called, gazing down from her place on the Highledge. Her fiery eyes skimmed over the warriors until she seemed to have made her decision. Every creature held their breath as she went on, "Creampaw, your mentor shall be Birchfur. I believe it is about time you had an apprentice, my brother. I felt fairly guilty when Squirrelstar gave me one but not you. Nevertheless, I have no doubt that you will share every shred of intelligence and skill with Creampaw."

Grinning, Birchfur shuffled forward from his place next to his mate and touched noses with Creampaw.

Hazelpaw still stood in the shadow of the Highledge, whiskers quivering and eyes huge as she waited to be assigned a mentor. Brokenstar blinked calmly at the new 'paw and then said, "I've thought long and hard about this one. And this cat has proven herself to be selflessly loyal to ThunderClan, caring about others even when she was at her worst this past greenleaf. As we edge into a new season, I know that training an apprentice of her own will keep her occupied. Skyclaw, you will be mentor to Hazelpaw."

Brownpaw's heart pounded with joy for his mother as Skyclaw, now trembling almost as much as her apprentice, tapped her nose against Hazelpaw's.

With a wave of her tail, the meeting drew to a close, and Brokenstar disappeared into her den, Harescar trailing behind her.

Leopardtooth stomped by Brownpaw with his brother, Sandpebble, trotting beside him. "I could've sworn Creampaw and Hazelpaw would go to us!" complained the spotted tom.

Sandpebble rolled his eyes. "Calm down, Leopardtooth. Birchfur and Skyclaw are older, more experienced warriors who still haven't had an apprentice yet. It will be our turn to train soon."

Brownpaw looked after the two brothers, gratitude for them making his heart swell. They had lived a rough life, losing their father Spottedpebble as young kits and then their mother, Treeleg, as apprentices just days before Brownpaw came to ThunderClan. Sandpebble had been obviously named after his father, and Leopardtooth carried on the same spotted golden coat. But not only had they suffered when little. They had made the sizeable journey to bring back Brownpaw when he ran away from ThunderClan. Despite his stupid decision and drama, Sandpebble and Leopardtooth had volunteered to chase after him. That is, unless Brokenstar ordered them to.

Brokenstar then emerged from her den, brown pelt melting out of the blackness as she scrambled down the stone wall, grasping onto indentations in the rock for balance. Harescar was just behind her, and Brownpaw couldn't resist a snort. Ever since they had announced they were mates to everyone, they didn't seem to be bothered always being together. Harescar had even moved into Brokenstar's den with her. Well, at least that was one more open spot in the warriors' den.

"Brownpaw, let's go to the training hollow," Brokenstar mewed, whisking herself across the clearing. Brownpaw started off after her, closing his eyes as he relished the feel of the breeze raking through his fur and screaming in his ears. Just before they hit the thorn barrier, Brownpaw opened his eyes and skidded to a sudden halt.

Brokenstar was doubled over, panting much more heavily than she should be for a short run like that. Harescar, whom Brownpaw hadn't even realized was with them, was at his mate's side in an instant. "Are you okay?" the deputy hissed, fear making his gaze go wild. "Do you need me to get Rat-"

"Oh, quit it," Brokenstar grumbled, forcing her spine to straighten and her tail to stand erect. "I'm fine. I just haven't exercised my limbs in a while. It was like breaking twigs out of frost in leaf-bare. But now my legs are fine. _I'm _fine," she repeated with a near crack to her voice, almost as if she were trying to convince herself that she was okay as well.

Harescar didn't look too sure, but silently he dipped his head and joined her and Brownpaw as they traveled through the forest. When they reached the training hollow, they were only greeted by Rainsnow and Streampaw. Seeing the pale gray tom sent a shudder through Brownpaw, and the dog bent his long legs a little, as if that would make him invisible to his brother.

Streampaw, however, was very focused on a battle move he was mastering. Brownpaw had overheard him boasting about it to Breezepaw recently, and he had said enough to make the black she-cat impressed. Brownpaw paused, studying Minnowcloud's son with what he tried to make appear as mild nonchalance.

Rainsnow, feigning an enemy warrior, leaped onto Streampaw's back, which must've been solid muscle because he didn't wince one bit. Even tossing in a fake snarl of fury, Streampaw shook his head cumbersomely like a badger and then reared up, pretending to slash other opponents in the face. Then he allowed himself to fall onto his back: Rainsnow rolled out from under him just in time. Streampaw rose to his paws and nodded as his mentor praised him.

"You've nearly got it now," Rainsnow purred. "You just need to be a tiny bit faster. Normally, I would allow myself to get caught under you if I were a ShadowClan cat or whoever, but the move is so crushing I could easily break a bone." The gray-and-white she-cat turned to Brokenstar, Harescar, and Brownpaw. "Oh, hello!" She glanced at Streampaw admirably and then back at the other three. "Isn't he great?"

Streampaw closed his eyes and inflated his chest, pride radiating off of him and Brownpaw lowered his head, blocking the murmurs of agreement from his mentor and Harescar. After a few more exchanged words and some slur from Streampaw involving needing two mentors because he was that bad whispered into his ear, Brownpaw was finally able to train himself.

Brokenstar parted her jaws to begin, but Brownpaw immediately cut in. "Hold on. Sorry. But I was wondering if I could practice the move Streampaw was doing. I wanted to see if I could be any quicker than him, to be honest."

Harescar leaped forward, immediately protective. "You're not going to be crushing her under you," he snapped.

Brokenstar shuffled her paws. "I'll be alright," she insisted. "If you think I can't handle escaping from under him, then you're implying I'm not as agile as Rainsnow."

Her mate didn't say anything more, just backed away and rested his rump on the ground gingerly, looking perplexed.

With a forced growl, Brokenstar leaped onto Brownpaw's back, but her hardly staggered under her weight. She wasn't a feather, but she wasn't thick like Skunkflight either. The puppy easily reared up, balancing on his hind legs and swatting at the air before him with his forepaws. Next he allowed himself to fall back, feeling Brokenstar's weight leave him as he fell onto the earth, belly up. Very fast, just like Streampaw had, Brownpaw leaped up before any imaginary enemy warriors could get to his stomach.

He looked at his mentor, and she was nodding in approval. "Very well done, Brownpaw. If I held a contest between who could do the move better, I would say Streampaw has something to worry about." She glanced at Harescar. "What did you think?"

Even though Brownpaw liked the ginger tom, he was getting a bit annoyed that the deputy seemed to accompany he and Brownpaw to every single training session. Brokenstar was better now; there was no need for him as a mentor anymore. Besides, having two trainers with him was kind of embarrassing. But the young dog listened to Harescar's constructive criticism, which ended up turning into a long list. Brownpaw zoned out a little, watching a robin peck at a worm hole a few tail-lengths away.

Harescar's droning gradually drew to a close, so Brownpaw started to pay attention again as Brokenstar spoke. The only problem was no cat could understand what she was saying. She was bent over, coughing up bile, and choking out something incoherent.

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**Okay, she's not fine.**


	4. The Concerned Deputy

**Uh-oh! Well, at least it's just been roughly a week since updating, instead of a month. **

**I was wondering if you guys could guess the two cats on the cover for this story. Whoever gets the correct answer first receives a virtual cookie (::) and a hug (^.^) (Sorry, filter blocks out the arms D:)**

**Enjoy~**

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The ginger tom's heart hammered against his chest. He felt so nauseous, like snakes were slithering in his belly, their devilishly forked tongues tickling his guts.

Why wouldn't Ratpelt let him in? Was it really that bad? The thought of her, in a haze of unimaginable, interminable pain nearly brought him to his knees.

Brownpaw was with him, the little- or big- saint. And, if Harescar wasn't in his own world known as Worry About Brokenstar My Beautiful Mate, he would most certainly be tuning in to the apprentice's comforting words.

After eons of pacing, and anxious murmurs from his Clanmates making the deputy's head spin, Ratpelt materialized from his den, long whiskers twitching. "Harescar, I'd like to have a word with you-"

There was no need for the medicine cat to complete the request. Harescar shoved past him, determined to see Brokenstar. But when he had entered the dim den, he found she wasn't in the usual place patients were kept. He whirled around and practically screeched, "Where is she?"

"In the back with my herbs, which is usually soundproof from outside noises. But ferns can't shelter her from _inside _sounds," Ratpelt replied pointedly with a flick of his tail toward a small barrier of ferns off to the left. From behind it came raspy breathing.

Harescar stiffened, working his claws into the smooth floor. "So? W- what's wrong with…" He couldn't even bring himself to choke out the question. How could he ask _What's wrong with her? _She should be fine. She recovered over a half-moon ago.

Ratpelt had a deep crease in his forehead. "I'm going to be totally honest with you here, Harescar, no sugarcoating at the least. I don't know."

"You don't _know_?" Harescar demanded in disbelief. Ratpelt had been the medicine cat since he was born, and not once had he ever heard the older tom sound and appear so doubtful and confused.

"She's the most puzzling patient I've ever had to deal with. Healthy her whole life- excluding the minor incident as an apprentice with the thorn in her paw, and battle wounds- and then two bouts of illness with zero evidence as to the reason for it. My only guess is the changing season. Maybe she isn't adapting well, or…" Ratpelt trailed off, sighing.

Harescar pursed his lips. "She's lived through leaf-fall before. It's still greenleaf right now, though. Rarely any cat ever gets sick during the warm weather. It must be something about her." All his claws were embedded in the earth now. "But what?" He pulled them out, wincing at the thought of chewing out the chunks of grass from his claws later. As if that was his biggest problem.

Ratpelt lowered his voice significantly and murmured, "I checked to see if she is expecting kits. So, if that's what you're thinking, that's a negative. I checked her for any internal issues that wouldn't be noticed from the outside. Cats have been known to get hard lumps in their belly or side, which can be malignant. But I didn't feel any of those either. I just don't get it. There is a half-moon meeting in a few nights, so I will confide in the other medicine cats then. But for now she is in StarClan's paws."

"What have you been giving her?"

"Mainly poppy seeds, since I don't want to give her anything she doesn't need. Some thyme, for shock from the pain. She's dealing with a lot right now, so I suggest you don't disturb her constantly."

Harescar managed to convince the russet tom to allow him to visit Brokenstar right then. He slid past the ferns, barely noticing how the wispy strands tickled his flanks.

The bold, snarky leader of ThunderClan was stretched out in her nest, shivering but tongue lolling like she was both cold and hot. Her long fur hung in limp clumps, and even her whiskers looked a bit crooked. Her eyes were glazed over, as if she was dead. For a split heartbeat, Harescar feared she was, but then she heaved a sigh and rasped, "Well, this is embarrassing."

"Still the most gorgeous cat I've ever seen," he assured her, settling down beside her and ignoring the sickly stink of her breath.

She just groaned.

Harescar stroked her lumpy flank. "Look, I know you hate this question, but how are you feeling?"

Brokenstar snorted. "Still a better question than 'are you okay?' because I'm obviously not okay. But, well, I'm not feeling too great. Honestly, I was hoping there would be something behind this, but just like last time there's no rhyme or reason. You know, there's nothing worse than having no idea why you feel the way you do."

Wistfully he murmured, "I've felt like that before. When I first started feeling attracted to you. I didn't know what it was I was feeling. And later I found out it was-"

"Love," Brokenstar cut in. Then she suddenly closed her eyes, and let out a long exhale. Harescar was comforted by her peaceful silence, until he realized that she wasn't breathing.

He scrambled to his paws and burst back through the ferns, to where Ratpelt was soaking bundles of moss in his pool of water.

"Birdspring is a little dehydrated, and Smokypaw is a bit overheated. I'll bring water to them," the medicine cat mumbled. Harescar pushed his way in between the medicine cat and the pool.

"She's not breathing," he croaked.

Without a word, Ratpelt gathered some herbs that were unknown to Harescar and slipped back through the ferns. Harescar was on his heels.

The russet-orange tom was crouched by the Clan leader, not seeming the least bit worried. But then, with a furrowed brow, he twisted up to look at Harescar. "She's losing a life," he announced calmly. "Luckily, it seems to be painless for her, unlike the… last two times."

Harescar didn't even want to think about the damage the ShadowClan leader, Coldstar, had done to her a few moons ago at the battle in their camp. She still had the scar on her neck, but it was barely noticeable now since her fur had grown back. All he said was, "Six."

Ratpelt nodded grimly. "Yes, six lives left now."

The ginger male released a short-lived hiss. "Six! She should still have nine. She's a young leader." He gulped and squeaked, "What if she loses more lives from this?"

The medicine cat looked at his paws, then at Brokenstar's slender face, pressed against the cold floor. Soundlessly, Ratpelt left and then returned moments later with a fresh bundle of moss. He nudged it under her head so that it was cushioned as well, then mewed without looking up, "That is not for me to answer, dear Harescar, because I am afraid I do not know."

**OoOoO**

Harescar stumbled out of the den. Beechflight and Brownpaw were right there waiting for him. "How is she?" Beechflight asked immediately.

The ginger tom moaned. "She lost another life."

They were quiet as stone. Harescar just tried to swallow over the lump in his throat and bounded across the clearing to the Highledge.

Usually when he was atop the great ledge, he didn't feel dizzy, at least not anymore. But now, as he gazed down at his Clanmates, all clearly concerned as they clustered beneath him, he couldn't ever picture himself as leader, in charge of ThunderClan without Brokenstar here. He could never stand up here with _–star _at the end of his name and be expected to act like all was normal.

"Cats of ThunderClan," he wheezed before swiftly clearing his throat. "Our leader is not doing well. Ratpelt cannot determine the cause for her illness, but it appears to be the same one she had almost a moon ago, which she recovered from within a quarter-moon. This way, we can face the bright side and hope she bounces back just as fast as last time." He hesitated, and then added. "She has lost another life, however, and is now down to six." He heard a muffled cry undoubtedly from Willowberry, Brokenstar's mother. Harescar forced himself to look at his mate's parents, and glimpsed the gray she-cat with her face buried in Shorthaze's shoulder fur. Brokenstar's brother, Birchfur, along with his mate Cherryfur and their daughter Sparklekit, all looked thoroughly shaken as well. He knew he had to end this on a more positive note. "But again, we all know how Brokenstar is. She's not just an extraordinary and brave leader, but a strong one too. She wouldn't let herself surrender to this mystery disease. She will fight it, just as fiercely as we face opponents in battle! Who agrees with me?" Harescar raised his tail, and relaxed as, one by one, cats raised their tails and cheered in a somewhat subdued tone. All except for one. Why wasn't Harescar surprised?

Minnowcloud rose to his full height and stared up at the deputy brazenly. "So," the gray tabby stated. "What if she doesn't get better…" Gasps right away began to erupt from the heart of the crowd and wash out to the edges. Every cat glared accusingly at him. "… for a while?" Minnowcloud finished, ignoring them all. "You should act as leader, and if you're going to be a smart leader, you'll appoint someone to help you."

Harescar stifled a laugh. Minnowcloud had a smug look on, like he believed Harescar would actually choose him to help out. Never in a million seasons would he pick that snide tom. "You're right, Minnowcloud," the ginger tom said. Then he transferred his glittering amber eyes to his best friend. "Beechflight, you wouldn't mind helping me out, would you? Brokenstar needs time to rest, and we can easily control the Clan while she's getting better."

Beechflight beamed and stood tall. "Of course, Harescar!" he purred.

**OoOoO**

The next morning, Harescar squeezed himself onto a border patrol with Beechflight and Firetail. When Firetail was up at the other end of the WindClan border to mark it, Harescar rolled his eyes and meowed, "Remember when you were having trouble deciding between Rainsnow and Hopepuddle?"

Beechflight flattened his ears, and glanced nervously up the stream. Firetail couldn't even be seen over the top of the short hill. "Why do you bring that u- up?" he stuttered.

"Oh, I don't know," Harescar mused. _To get my mind off of Brokenstar. _But aloud he said, "I guess it's just that it's hard to believe only a few moons ago, we were still bachelors, and now we've settled down, and you're starting a family."

For a while Beechflight didn't say anything. Firetail was starting to make his way down the slope when the light tabby said, "You and Brokenstar would make great parents."

_Just who I was trying to get my mind off of. _Harescar muttered just as Firetail reunited with them, "How could we ever have kits?"

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**Until the next chapter, adios!**


	5. The Arrogant Dog

**You guys just shouldn't trust me anymore- I'm a mess. I apologize for the long wait. Luckily, you get a slightly longer chapter than usual: a whole extra page, in fact! Enjoy! Here I introduce a new character...**

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Brownpaw's thoughts were wilder than a rabid badger.

He hated how much Carly had returned to his mind, over and over again, constantly. She was a beautiful yellow-furred puppy just a few moons older than him. She lived over the Thunderpath and up the hill, where her Twoleg had rehabilitated the formerly abandoned nest. Brownpaw knew that if he sneaked out again, he would only be caught or return home and have something new to worry about. Even though Brownpaw had more rights now as an apprentice, he still couldn't leave without a full-grown warrior. Unless…

The puppy tried his best to contain his excitement, but ended up bounding across the clearing to where Leopardtooth was sifting through the fresh-kill pile very roughly, leaving prey stacked haphazardly all around him. Brownpaw had to dodge an airborne piece of fresh-kill that had been rejected, swiped aside by the tom's muzzle.

"L- Leopardtooth-" Brownpaw managed to get out before a mouse hit the side of his head. He groaned at the rank smell that came from it- probably a few days old now, it had clearly come from the bottom of the pile. He tossed it aside and stepped closer, where the spotted warrior turned around.

Leopardtooth was the youngest warrior, and that was obvious enough. He was very different compared to his brother, Sandpebble. While Sandpebble was the low-key and level-headed one, Leopardtooth was reckless and a bit all-over-the-place, to say the least. But he wasn't stupid- if you wanted to learn the best front paw blow, he was the cat to go to. Leopardtooth also had some of the best stories to tell, mostly about his deceased parents: Spottedpebble and Treeleg. He would be an extraordinary elder.

"Brownpaw," Leopardtooth mumbled around his final selection, a thrush, in his jaws. He started to kick the fresh-kill he had scattered all around into the pile disdainfully.

"Yes, hello," Brownpaw barked. "Um, I was wondering if you could, er, help me investigate something…"

Excitement immediately glowed on Leopardtooth's sleek face, but was swiftly replaced by suspicion. "Why not ask your mentor or someone else? Why me?"

Brownpaw's tongue lolled; Leopardtooth was one of few cats who didn't wrinkle their nose at this. "You're the only cat right for the job," he answered mischievously.

Leopardtooth simpered. Brownpaw knew the tom couldn't resist this.

"So let me get this straight: you want to investigate the Twoleg who lives up here?" Leopardtooth said as he and Brownpaw hiked their way through ThunderClan's forest to the Thunderpath.

The path to Carly's home wasn't too rough, once you'd traveled it several times. It was just a mildly strenuous trek through the woods, then crawling under a set of thin bushes to an old, usually retired Thunderpath, then crossing that and passing directly through the other line of brush, which was much more sparse. After that, you just had to climb up a small hill and you were there. Brownpaw knew this wasn't a trail he would soon forget.

"Yes. I believe it has a dog-" _Or two, _Brownpaw thought to himself apprehensively, recalling the additional unfamiliar bark he had overheard on his last visit there. "- and maybe I could communicate with that dog to see if they mean any harm."

Leopardtooth's tail flicked uncertainly as the Thunderpath rose into view. "Wow, haven't been in this part of the territory since my early apprentice days." He eyed Brownpaw again, unfortunately not done grilling him. "And you expect me not to snitch on you for going to the 'forbidden' part of the territory?"

Brownpaw froze, lips quivering in alarm, but then began to crawl into the short tunnel under the first line of bushes and replied a little tartly, "Technically, you're coming here with me. And it's not forbidden, it's just… disused, I suppose. Besides, you're adventurous… aren't you curious how the territory has changed since you were last here?"

"I guess," scoffed Leopardtooth, but it was friendly, and Brownpaw recognized the spotted warrior's grunts as he slid through the tunnel after him.

They emerged soon enough, and as expected the Thunderpath was deserted. Brownpaw and Leopardtooth passed over it with ease.

Leopardtooth looked a bit thrilled now, and leaned forward on his toes. "Next tunnel?" He barely seemed to notice the mud streaked over his flanks now, flattening his handsome golden fur.

Brownpaw blinked. "Um, this bit of bushes we just have to run through. Too high to jump over, and no tunnel."

The cat's passionate expression faltered. "Run… through it?"

The apprentice rolled his eyes. "C'mon, you didn't mind some mud." With that, he faced the bushes and then shut his eyes, charging right through them as intently as a bull that had seen red.

He hesitated a few moments, but eventually Leopardtooth ran after him. Licking his minor scratches, Leopardtooth padded next to Brownpaw as the puppy guided him up the petite hill.

The blueberry bushes came into view first. Brownpaw remembered when he had sneaked out with Harescar to gather these berries, which saved the very ill Skyclaw's life. Now that leaf-fall was edging nearer, the bushes were beginning to look as dilapidated as the Twoleg nest was before Carly's master fixed it up.

The strong chemicals on Carly's lawn hit Brownpaw's nose hard; Leopardtooth gagged a little and patted his sore nose, which had taken a hit back in the brush.

"So you've been here before?" Leopardtooth asked. "Or were you just wondering about it?"

"Oh, I was just, er, wanting to know about it… yeah," Brownpaw lied. His stuttering somehow went in one ear and out the other with Leopardtooth; the spotted tom now stood, staring, enthralled, at the Twoleg nest.

"This has _really _changed since I was here with Flashnight," Leopardtooth said, fur bristling.

Brownpaw nodded and proceeded forward. Remembering suddenly that he needed to act cautious, like he hadn't ever set paw on this land before, he pinned back his ears tightly and lowered his stance a little, tail brushing the neatly-trimmed grass.

"This grass is sharp," complained Leopardtooth. "If whatever is making that foul smell sharpens things, I would love to use it on my claws!"

Snorting, Brownpaw made his way up to the side of the nest, where the window he had looked through last time was. To his dismay, there was nothing stacked up against the window this time: all of the pelt-dens Carly and her Twoleg had stayed in before the nest was finished being renovated were gone.

"Look, there's a smaller nest over there," Leopardtooth noted, pointing with his tail. Brownpaw followed his gaze and, sure enough, there was a brand-new smaller structure that appeared to be rather hastily built. _Maybe the Twoleg put supplies in there. _

Just then, a husky bark sounded, and gruff mumbling from the Twoleg announced that everyone inside the larger nest was coming out. Brownpaw pulled Leopardtooth behind a boulder that sat on the edge of the forest and then peeked around the edge of the rock to watch the activity.

Carly emerged from the nest first, barking joyfully as she sped out onto the lawn, legs spread out. She was even more beautiful now: with creamy yellow fur, short triangular ears, and twinkling brown eyes, it was hard not to take a second look. Brownpaw beamed as he watched her, until someone else appeared.

He was bigger than Brownpaw, though not by much. His back was a startling jet-black that mellowed to a crisp brown on his belly and legs. His slender, pointed face looked very menacing, but the smile crinkling his jaws was unmistakable as he leapt after Carly, haring around and around the lawn until he collapsed, exhausted, at Carly's feet. She laughed and nudged him up… Brownpaw could see the affection in her optics even from this distance.

He felt disappointment rip through him, a harsh, fierce chilliness that slowed his heart. _All my chances with her are gone. She has him now. And he's much more handsome than any old mutt like me. _

"So two... er… doggypets live here," Leopardtooth observed in a mutter from where he was spying at the other end of the boulder. Brownpaw stared at him forlornly, and, thinking he was confused, the spotted warrior added quickly, "Ya know, as opposed to kittypets."

"I know," Brownpaw grumbled. "Hopefully they won't- won't give us any trouble."

Leopardtooth agreed. "They better not. And if they do, their faces will meet my claws."

Brownpaw couldn't suppress a cringe. He would never want any harm to come to Carly. But as for this other dog…

"Well, it's time to go," Brownpaw announced in a hushed tone. "We might as well; I've learned everything… I need to, uh, know."

But before Leopardtooth could reply, the black-and-brown puppy froze from where he was pinned under Carly. "Do you smell that?" he growled, and his deep voice surprised Brownpaw. _Even his voice has to be better than mine. I still squeak like a newborn, while he sounds like an adult. _

Carly let him up and swerved to face the boulder hiding Brownpaw and Leopardtooth. "I do," she said, clearly recognizing the scent. "It's coming from over here. Let me investigate." She walked forward, and the male dog followed, but she firmly went on, "You stay here. I'm sure it's nothing."

"Carly, it's another dog! You have to let me come!" he insisted. "I'm the guard dog here. You're the hunt dog."

"Who was here first, Tuffy?" Carly snapped. "Please, can't you trust me alone for a moment?"

Tuffy didn't protest again, and Carly stalked right in Brownpaw's direction. Leopardtooth was tense beside Brownpaw. "What do we do?" grunted the warrior under his breath, obviously trying not to show his alarm at the dog twice or three times his size rapidly approaching them.

_You're the warrior here! _Brownpaw howled in his head, but he knew that he had been the one to drag Leopardtooth here. He answered, "Let me handle this. I'm sure she'll let us pass if we just say we were passing through or something." _Carly will know it's me, of course. She won't buy that. Or maybe she'll go along with it while Tuffy's here? _

Carly stopped at the rock and, sure enough, said, "Pup. Fancy seeing you here."

"I can explain," Brownpaw whined, partly saying this to Carly and to Leopardtooth, who looked bewildered at the fact that this dog knew his old name.

"Do it fast," Carly whispered stiffly. "because Tuffy won't hang back for long."

Brownpaw wished he could tell her everything, but with Leopardtooth here with pricked ears as well, he knew he couldn't speak the complete truth. Instead he glanced meaningfully at the yellow-furred she-dog, angling his ears ever so slightly at Leopardtooth. Then he turned to the warrior and said, "I ran into this dog when I was very little, when my name was still… Pup." He gulped, praying Carly wouldn't interject.

She just cocked her head, brow furrowed. "Yeah…" she said. "And what's your name now?"

_Of course. She still thinks it's Pup. That's what I told her. _

Now it was Leopardtooth's turn for the hard stare. The cat seemed to get that he would be lying, and Brownpaw jerked his head at Carly as he spoke. "Talon," he answered smoothly.

Carly swayed a little on her paws. Brownpaw forced back a smirk. _Attractive name, no? _He was dying to say that, but just continued effortlessly, "And you said that's Tuffy?" He gestured with what he tried to make look like a faintly intrigued look.

"Ye-" Carly never finished, because at that moment Tuffy steamrolled across the lawn and was at her flank in a few heartbeats flat.

"Problem?" he snarled shortly, lip already curled.

Brownpaw banished any misgivings and rose to his full height, pleased to see that he barely had to crane his neck backwards to meet Tuffy's aloof brown orbs. "My name's Talon, not Problem."

Tuffy's stubbly whiskers twitched in what Brownpaw was nearly sure was not amusement. "Wasn't talking to you," he retorted.

"Well, you were lookin' at me," Brownpaw said with a twang. "with a very sour face. Do I have dirt smeared across my face or have you just judged me and decided you hate me without even meeting me first?"

"I've met you now."

"And still there's that unpleasant look."

Carly leaped between them and pleaded, "Stop it, you two! You're acting as unfriendly as dog against cat-" She stopped herself when she remembered Leopardtooth was there, hackles raised as he eyed Tuffy's stance. The black-and-brown male was trembling with fury.

Abruptly Tuffy declared, "He's planning to hurt you, Carly."

"_What?_" Carly demanded, appalled.

Still shaking and boiling, Tuffy bared his fangs at Brownpaw and spat, "You better be careful where you place your paws next time, 'Talon'. If they're on my territory, you won't be around long enough to go running back to your _feline friend_."

Leopardtooth growled weakly.

"I'm not scared of you," fibbed Brownpaw, but he whipped around to go. Tuffy triumphantly lifted his muzzle as he watched Leopardtooth slink after Brownpaw back down the hill.

But when Brownpaw was at the base of the hill, he spun back around; Tuffy was still there, gloating silently. In a low, controlled voice, Brownpaw said, "This is ThunderClan territory, not Tuffy territory."

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**Hope you liked! See you next time, Harescar POV.**


	6. The Vigorous Search

**Here is chapter five! Enjoy!**

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So far, Harescar did not like being ThunderClan leader. Even though the majority of his Clanmates gave him their full support, there were, of course, some select few who refused to.

First off, Minnowcloud. The gray tabby had never been Harescar's friend. Harescar remembered his first greeting to the half-RiverClan tom like it was just last moon…

_"Bet you can't do this move!" Stonepaw teased, dropping down into a crouch with hindquarters wiggling in anticipation. "Shorthaze just taught me it, and it'll blow your mind!"_

_ "I'll learn it in a flash," Harepaw scoffed. "You know Willowberry gave _me _the day off, so-"_

_ The brothers' attention was snatched away from training as a disgruntled gray tom with ruffled dark striped gray fur burst into the camp, his cobalt eyes wild with something close to fear._

_ He stunk mostly of muck, but RiverClan scent also clung to his ragged pelt. Immediately cats came scurrying up to him, including Harepaw and Stonepaw._

_ "Why have you come here?" Squirrelstar mewed, her milky green eyes fixed sternly upon the bedraggled apprentice. _

_ "My name is Minnowpaw," the tom started sharply, though his voice was tinged with an ill rasp. "My mother was from ThunderClan. The night I was born, she fled to RiverClan, where my father lived, to give birth to me. They are now both dead, and I was teased too much over there. I was hoping I could have a fresh start over here."_

_ Everyone in ThunderClan was staring at him, dumbstruck. This cat had openly announced he was half-Clan, as if he was proud of it. And now he just came storming in, expecting to be accepted on the spot? But everyone knew how the daughter of Firestar would react…_

_ "You must be exhausted after your journey," Squirrelstar murmured, sympathy clouding her already foggy green eyes. "Let's hope you didn't go through ShadowClan territory; they would've left some marks on you," she joked, despite Minnowpaw's distraught expression._

_ Harepaw's heart sunk as Squirrelstar led the ash-colored tom over to he and Stonepaw. _We don't want that half-blood hanging out with us! _Harepaw swiftly swept his gaze away from their approaching leader and over to where Brokenwing was watching, then a young warrior, from the sunning rocks. Her yellow eyes glinted with an emotion similar to Squirrelstar's. How could she, of all cats, be accepting of any old cat who strolled into camp? _

_ Squirrelstar's orange pelt, which had dulled a bit with age, was now in Harepaw's range of vision, and he tore his optics away from the pretty she-cat to stare hardly at Minnowpaw. The unfamiliar tom flinched a little and refused to meet the brother's harsh looks._

_ Stonepaw's golden eyes flashed in anger and he muttered at just the perfect tone for Minnowpaw to hear, but not Squirrelstar's old ears to pick up, into Harepaw's ear. "He looks like an oversized rat from the carrionplace in the old forest!"_

_ Whiskers twitching, Squirrelstar finally halted in front of Harepaw and Stonepaw, gazing from sibling to sibling. "I expect you both to accept Minnowpaw into our ranks with as much warm welcome as possible. If I notice any sign of arrogance from you about him, there will be consequences. Understand?"_

_ Minnowpaw almost looked embarrassed that he was being protected like this by the Clan leader. Harepaw just shuffled his paws and mumbled, "Yes." _

_ Stonepaw simpered disdainfully. "Sorry, but why can't he be with Skunkpaw and Firepaw?" he demanded, lashing his tail in direction of where the black-and-white and tabby friends were leering at yet another thing, probably the newcomer._

_ Squirrelstar hesitated for a long moment. She nearly looked about to reveal something major to the brothers, but rethought it and mewed, "Only you two can find a similarity to Minnowpaw deep within. Nobody else." With that, she spun on her white-and-ginger paws and slunk off, her old bones definitely not helping with her speed._

_ Harepaw gradually brought himself to look into Minnowpaw's eyes. The gray tom had already been staring at him. Clearly he had heard what Stonepaw had said. And as Harepaw lost himself in those chilly azure depths, he had a feeling there was a new enemy in ThunderClan. _

As Harescar sat in his den, reflecting this, he knew he had realized long ago where he went wrong: blindly agreeing to Stonepaw's mean remarks. But then, of course, Stonepaw was _dead! _Seeing this, Harescar briefly believed his deceased brother could do no wrong… he couldn't disrespect a member of StarClan.

_Thanks to him, I now have a rebellious cat in my Clan, _Harescar thought bitterly, his thoughts moving on to Skunkflight.

_It hadn't taken very long for Minnowpaw to fit into Skunkpaw's group, and soon he was the new ringleader, stuck to Skunkpaw and Firepaw like a bee to his honeycombs._

_ Skunkpaw had always been an unpleasant cat, just like his namesake; of course, his parents had named him for his black-and-white coat, but over the moons of his kithood, it was difficult for others to resist calling him stinky, smelly, and so on. His heart grew cold, as with most survivors of constant bullying._

_ He had never been close with his sister, Hopepaw. She became friends with the sister of Firepaw, Rainpaw, and after that, the two toms became buddies. Firepaw never seemed as into the jokes Skunkpaw made about others, and he always seemed intrigued by Hopepaw, no matter what Skunkpaw said about her._

_ Minnowpaw proved himself to be as nasty as them, so Skunkpaw warmed up to him. All throughout Harepaw's lonely warrior ceremony, they were calling out names quiet enough so Squirrelstar wouldn't hear: "Haredirt! Hareface! Hareteeth!" _

_ Harescar was finally able to go escape from them with Beechflight or alone. And during Minnowpaw's ceremony, of course with Skunkpaw, his friend, and their sisters, he and Beechflight mumbled silly names for the toms._

_ Luckily, Firetail lost his need to be callous when he finally admitted his true feelings to Hopepuddle, and once their kits were born, he became a very friendly cat._

_ But still, Minnowcloud and Skunkflight stuck to their antics, especially when it came to Brownpaw. _

Harescar bit his lip as his pricked ears picked up motion from outside. He groaned and stood up from his nest beside the cold, empty bundle of moss that was Brokenstar's bedding.

The sunlight hit him fiercely as he padded outside. How long had he been cowering in the cave? _Must've been a while. It's nearly sunset, _he mused to himself, peering over the broken tip of the Highledge.

Sandpebble was in a panic, squeezing between and behind dens, even eyeing the trees above like he was ready to climb them. "No one has seen my brother?" he yowled, clearly not for the first time as a collective, slightly annoyed rumble rose from the others in the clearing.

Concerned for the young warrior, Harescar made his way down the rocky slope and rested his tail on the pale tom's trembling shoulders. "Do we need to send out a search party for Leopardtooth?"

"Please do!" Sandpebble nodded vigorously, sputtering his words. "I- he- they- he's gone. I raked through the territory for him."

Harescar turned to find Beechflight, only to remember he had just gone out on patrol. _Guess he didn't think a search patrol was necessary. Well, he's not the official deputy anyway. _Then a startling idea prodded him: what if Leopardtooth had been a bit too curious and went exploring in the area Brownpaw used to sneak off to?

When Brownpaw's foster mother, Skyclaw, had come down with a strange and violent illness, she had croakily informed them that the cure for it was contained in blueberries. Small groups had been sent far to find these berries, but as it turned out, they were growing in neat bushes up in the corner of ThunderClan territory no one bothered with anymore. Now a Twoleg and his dog lived there, as far as Harescar knew, in the formerly abandoned Twoleg nest. But cats had to cross a Thunderpath to get there…

Harescar reassured Sandpebble he would organize something as soon as possible and then walked quickly over to the apprentices' den. He would retrieve Brownpaw and have the dog lead him back through the very specific path.

But Brownpaw was nowhere to be found either! Harescar's buzzing mind gathered all kinds of alarming thoughts as to where Leopardtooth and Brownpaw could be, whether together or separate. Harescar settled on taking himself, Sandpebble, and Dewpaw in that direction. Hopefully, they would run into the overcurious runaways.

"This is so cool," purred Dewpaw as they trekked along, Harescar trying to maintain his lead. However, Sandpebble kept brushing by him, nose so close to the ground that his muzzle was leaving a faint trail in the dead leaves.

Harescar watched Dewpaw trot along confidently, and let it sink in for the first time how grown up she was now. She and her sister, Breezepaw, had certainly transformed from the exuberant, clueless new apprentices with fluffy fur they were when Brownpaw first joined ThunderClan. Now they had sleek, glossy fur and bright but collected eyes. Harescar could hardly believe the sisters would be warriors in a moon.

Harescar joined Sandpebble in keeping his nose buried in the leaf litter. Leopardtooth's scent was palpable through all the others; he'd been through here recently. Just as Harescar had suspected, so had Brownpaw.

They hiked through the trees, the increasing shade brought on by the departing sun dappling their pelts. Eventually they arrived at the Thunderpath, and Dewpaw traced their scents to the familiar tunnel under the row of bushes lining the oily black stretch. Harescar praised her and led them through it, the damp smell clogging his nose for a few heartbeats until they reemerged immediately at the path. Harescar gulped and stepped back, glancing both ways before racing over it, paws pounding on the greasy surface. Sandpebble and Dewpaw followed; the youthful warrior paused to paw forlornly at some clumps of Leopardtooth's fur stuck to the branches of the brush.

His green eyes expended to the size of two of the lakes. "There's blood here! My brother bled here!"

Harescar gave the scarlet flecks a swift sniff and commented, "He was just scraped by these bushes. I don't see a tunnel, so I suppose we'll just have to run through them."

Dewpaw frowned, appearing just as uncertain as Sandpebble. "Do you really have to? Can't we just jump over—?"

"They're too high to leap over," Harescar meowed. "But good suggestion." Again the older apprentice glowed with pride.

He was about to shut his eyes and streak through the prickly bushes when there was a sharp intake of breath from his right. Sandpebble was gazing a little farther down the Thunderpath, where Leopardtooth and Brownpaw had just exploded through the thorny undergrowth.

* * *

**How will they explain?**


	7. The Angry Discussion

**Enjoy! I'm proud of this chapter, and a lot of things begin to pick up here :)**

* * *

Sandpebble let out a screech of relief and raced over to Leopardtooth, covering his brother in licks like a concerned mother finding a lost kit.

"Great StarClan, Sandpebble, I didn't even leave the territory!" Leopardtooth exclaimed, indignantly shrugging the sandy-furred tom off. With a swift but meaningful glance at the deputy, who was sauntering toward them with Dewpaw in tow, he added, "We really _didn't _leave the territory."

"I understand, Leopardtooth," Harescar assured the tom, though the hint of fury in his tone was unmistakable. "It's not you I have a bone to pick with."

Brownpaw winced and promptly tucked his tail between his legs. _Of course. How could I ever have thought I couldn't get caught? We didn't even bother to disguise our scents, we were so eager. _The long-legged dog straightened himself, however, and connected his unwavering gaze with Harescar's narrowed amber slits. _But this cat is my friend. I must do anything I can to make him realize I had good reason to sneak off… and he needs to know about ThunderClan's newest threat._

The image of the enormous black-and-brown dog was crystal clear in Brownpaw's mind… so clear it was like Tuffy was standing right there. Despite his name, he was far from amusing. Underneath that pointed muzzle were rows of teeth that would gladly tear "Talon" into shreds.

Brownpaw glanced down at his black paws for a moment, and followed up his legs, the black fading away to brown, to his white chest dotted with brown flecks. Then with a sudden movement, he snapped his head up so fast that his neck cracked. "Harescar, there's a new threat to the safety of your cats."

"Is there now?" the deputy drawled. "Why don't you tell me _all _about it on the way back to camp."

Dewpaw shot Brownpaw a sympathetic glance as Harescar beckoned to the puppy with a lashing tail. But Brownpaw stood his ground, forcing himself not to curl his lip. _I don't need to get into deeper dirt. I just need to gently resist so he'll listen. _"I think you should check it out. It might be better to get rid of it now before it… spreads." Brownpaw smirked as a misty vision of Harescar driving Tuffy into non-Clan territory glowed before him. It faded quickly, however, replaced by Harescar's steaming face shoved right up into his.

"We're going," hissed the ginger tom. Brownpaw still wasn't much taller than Harescar, and the angry cat easily half-dragged him back to camp. Brownpaw refused to explain. _Not with Dewpaw, Sandpebble, and Leopardtooth watching us like hawks. _

"Oh, thank StarClan they're okay!" breathed Skyclaw, rushing up to the patrol. Frostpaw was bouncing by her side, beaming up at Brownpaw. The puppy felt awful; _they were so worried about me. It's easy to see Frostpaw was terrified. Why did I venture away and worry them again? _

Breezepaw touched noses with her sister and gasped as Dewpaw proudly spilled how she had (helped) discovered their lost Clanmates. Sandpebble was still chiding Leopardtooth roughly as they headed toward the warriors' den. Brownpaw eyed the sky. Night had almost completely set in now, so it would be pointless to bring Harescar back there and confront Tuffy.

"I'm glad too, Skyclaw," Harescar addressed the tabby queen gruffly. "But I'm afraid Brownpaw and I have some business to settle in m- Brokenstar's den."

The ginger tom turned away immediately, but wasn't fast enough for Brownpaw to miss his teeth gritted in pain, and the glistening in his hard eyes. _He's far from ever calling the leader's den his. But he still nearly did. _

He trailed the orange tom, deciding he might as well buy all the points he could. Brownpaw kept up with Harescar's pace climbing up the rocky cliff side, and was right there already sitting by the time the deputy was settled in his nest.

"Brownpaw, you promised me you wouldn't go up to the abandoned Twoleg nest anymore," Harescar mewed, launching right into it. He bit his lip to keep it from trembling and nudged away an old nest. Brownpaw watched the dusty bedding roll into a shadowed corner, so old and dry that the moss was curled and crunchy. _Brokenstar's nest. She's been in the medicine den for so long… _

"I- er, well… you see, the Twoleg nest isn't abandoned, Harescar. Soon after I came to ThunderClan, a Twoleg and his dog moved in, and now it's an… inhabited Twoleg n- nest. But the thing is, there's now a second dog."

Sounding exhausted, Harescar grunted, "Which... which one were you visiting?"

Brownpaw lowered his head, the chilliness of the stone seeping into his pads all of a sudden. A shudder rippled down his spine, and he choked out, "The first dog. And she's fine. But it's the new one who's a problem…" He went on to explain, among stutters and pauses, all about Tuffy. Harescar listened silently the whole time, staring right at Brownpaw, though almost absently. It was obvious that somebody else was on his thoughts as well, and it wasn't difficult to guess who. _We're both obsessed with the ones we… _Brownpaw's rambling came to a halt as he recognized the word he had been about to think of. _Love. _

Love. What a bittersweet word. It could be so wrong but feel so right, or the opposite. Love was tough in the Clans: medicine cats couldn't have kits, and no cat was allowed to be with cats from another Clan. Countless felines had broken the rule, and Brownpaw could think of so many forbidden couples off the top of his head that he felt he'd heard _too _much about those stories. _Carly is not a member of ThunderClan. Therefore, she's off-limits as long as I'm living here. _Sharp, cruel envy made Brownpaw's pelt pulse with fierce heat. _His relationship is okay. He has all he wants here. _

"I know what you're thinking," spat Harescar, rising abruptly to his paws and stepping out of his nest, shaking bits of moss off his hind legs.

"I'm only thinking about how we can remove Tuffy from our territory," Brownpaw retorted. _If he ever knew what I was really thinking… _

"Hardly," Harescar whispered, his voice deadly low. His claws were unsheathed and made awful noises as he scored them across the ground. "You're thinking about that yellow dog. You're infatuated with her. And it's getting old. Brownpaw, there's a famous quote that a warrior named Lionheart once said to Firestar when he was just a kittypet, Rusty…

"'You cannot live with a paw in each world.' Does that mean anything to you? When you agreed to join this Clan, you accepted the ridicule and scorn you would face. But did you ever fully accept the rule that _your loyalty must remain to your Clan_?"

It was all the speckled apprentice could do not to leap on Harescar, pin him down, and talk him straight. But considering the tomcat's anger level right then, that would only lead to heavy punishment.

Instead Brownpaw placed a trembling paw on his chest and muttered, "If you've ever loved, then you'll truly understand."

Harescar said nothing. He kept his copper optics fixed on the dog, his face screwed up in a grimace.

"And I know that you know what I mean," Brownpaw went on, his voice steady for the first time. He, too, stood and made his way over to the deputy, where he briefly pressed his cold, wet nose against Harescar's warm, gray nose. Then he stepped back and focused on the ginger tom's twitching face. His frown was starting to subside, and his brow was indenting. "You love Brokenstar. You went through a lot to get her to accept your love for each other, and you desperately sought her father's approval. Now she is sick, and no one knows what's wrong with her. Yet you spend your time, waste your breath on _me_, of all mongrels. Let me be. I can focus on my own issues."

Brownpaw whirled around to leave, but an icy voice froze him in his tracks. "You speak like you've been stalking my and Brokenstar's relationship ever since it was just a seed in the earth."

The dog felt like he had been tromping through a blizzard for days, only to finally be frozen into a dogcicle. Gradually he coughed up a half-true response: "When I first saw you and Brokenstar in one setting together, I thought you were mates." He twisted, not even bothering to meet those amber eyes anymore. "For dogs, the 'leader' is called 'alpha', and the 'deputy' is 'beta'. Alphas and betas are mates, most of the time." With a sigh, he closed his eyes and murmured in conclusion, "So don't think loving her is so wrong."

He swung his broad head back around and padded out, not opening his eyes until the darkness behind his closed eyelids brightened. _Sweet daylight_, he thought. _Outside of that dreadful cave. _

Brownpaw's paws had barely hit the ground at the base of the Highledge when Frostpaw was in front of him. The dog sighed. "What's the matter, Frostpaw?"

The white tom looked perplexed. "Are you in trouble?"

"No," Brownpaw answered curtly. _And not even StarClan knows what's going through Harescar's mind right now. _

"Oh!" Frostpaw grinned. "Well, in that case, want to go training?" His bright blue eyes flicked up to the dark leader's den, then back to Brownpaw. "I guess your mentor is busy, so I figured…"

Berryfang padded up, dipping his head to Brownpaw and then rolling his eyes at his apprentice. "Don't bother Brownpaw, now. I'm sure he's exhausted after his… expedition with Leopardtooth."

"Actually, a training session sounds wonderful right now," Brownpaw barked warmly. "I've always wondered what a nighttime session would be like."

"Well, Frostpaw slept in late, so I decided I'd let him nap most of the day," Berryfang meowed as the three headed toward the thorny exit. "But then he begged to practice some night hunting, and I think it's a good idea."

"Me too," Brownpaw smiled, ignoring the weariness in his bones. _I just have to get away from that ginger cat. _

They weren't too far from the common training clearing when a familiar sour scent engulfed Brownpaw's senses, and he staggered in disgust. Rainsnow and Streampaw were approaching, laden with prey.

Rainsnow ducked her head to them, jaws too full to comment. But Streampaw stopped and set down his bushy-tailed squirrel.

"Shouldn't the dog have his scent disguised?" The pale gray tom gave a disdainful sniff. "RiverClan will be able to pick up his stench."

Rainsnow let go of her catches and glared at her apprentice. "They'll also scent your nasty attitude. Come on, we need to get back to camp before the 'kill gets too cold."

"No, wait," Frostpaw interjected, stepping in their path. "Streampaw, is that really the best you can come up with? What, did Minnowcloud tell you that one?"

His brother growled and aimed a very close swipe at the white tom's ears, which Frostpaw flattened just in time.

Rainsnow crammed herself between the littermates, baring her teeth at Streampaw. "You still have kit fluff and you're acting like a ShadowClan warrior! Stop attacking your brother and apologize."

Streampaw wrinkled his nose. "I could've landed that blow if you'd taught it to me better," he mumbled, but either the gray-and-white she-cat didn't hear him or ignored him. Louder, he refused. "I believe I'm the one who needs an apology. Thanks to Skyclaw and Frostpaw, we're the strangest family known to the Clans."

"Our father's half-RiverClan," Frostpaw hissed.

Streampaw shouldered away his mentor and blue eyes met with blue. "But still full Clan blood. No _loner _blood."

With a malignant spit, Frostpaw pounced onto Streampaw, but Brownpaw easily pulled him off within heartbeats. Streampaw blindly swatted, and his claws snagged onto the skin on Brownpaw's belly. The puppy swallowed a yelp and just jumped back.

The warriors were shocked. "Streampaw, your behavior will be reported to Harescar," Rainsnow snarled. She glanced at Frostpaw. "I suggest Frostpaw gets an _honorable mention _in this skirmish as well." The dappled female's eyes glowed in the darkness among the shadowy outlines of bushes and trees. "I would never fight like this with Firetail." As she pushed Streampaw back to camp, she muttered, "Fighting with your own littermate…"

Berryfang uttered to Frostpaw, "Are you hurt?"

"No."

"Brownpaw?"

"Y- yeah," Brownpaw grunted, showing the red droplets welling on his flank. "Streampaw got me a little. It's nothing—"

"Go straight to Ratpelt," Berryfang interrupted. The ginger-and-white warrior sighed as he glanced at Frostpaw. "And you, to bed."

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**See you at the AND update!**


	8. The Unexpected Announcement

**Sorry for the wait. Enjoy! Huge plot twist in this chapter that some of you (okay, most of you) were probably expecting/hoping would come soon. Things will definitely start to pick up here, mainly advances with Harescar.**

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Night had totally fallen, and for once Harescar was completely relaxed. The camp was silent save for the sound of crickets chirping consistently. But it was a soothing sound, and the ginger tom allowed his heavy eyelids to slip, crashing down over his glassy amber optics…

A sudden rush of warm, late greenleaf air slammed against him, and Harescar was almost thrown out of his nest as two cats stalked into the den. Annoyed that his chilly and peaceful half-slumber had been disturbed, the deputy sat up and let his ginger fur stay ruffled. "Yes, you may come in," he grumbled.

The cats stepped into a thick strip of moonlight filtering through the lichen covering the cave entrance, and Harescar's ears flicked up as he recognized Rainsnow and his former apprentice, Berryfang. _Also Frostpaw and Streampaw's mentors, _he realized with a stir of unease in his belly. He hoped that the two brothers hadn't gotten into a fight again.

Rainsnow dipped her head, looking terrified that she had disturbed him. "I'm so sorry, Harescar," she mewed, dipping her head. "We- we just assumed that, given you're the one in this den, er…"

"No, no, it's fine," Harescar assured her, flattening his hackles and smiling wanly at them. "Go on."

Berryfang stepped forward and solemnly faced him. "Frostpaw and Streampaw got into an argument again, and this time it was a bit more physical. Streampaw threw a blow for Frostpaw's ear and missed, and after that Frostpaw attacked him, but Brownpaw dragged him off only to get scratched on the belly by Streampaw. He's getting treated by Ratpelt."

Harescar's brow furrowed. _Two brothers, once closer than two leaves on a stem… _"I see. I'm not trying to make you two uncomfortable when I ask this, but why didn't either of you stop them?"

Rainsnow hung her head, shame radiating off of her. "I… we…" Her blue eyes flashed to Berryfang desperately.

The ginger-and-white tom cleared his throat loudly. "Um, we thought they might solve their issues instead of continue to fight. Honestly, the claws were sheathed again as quickly as they went out. We'll see that it won't happen again."

"Yes," Harescar murmured, curling back down into his nest with an exhausted sigh. "And also make sure the two don't have any training sessions together, things like that. I'll tell Beechflight not to put them on the same patrol. We don't need any unnecessary wounds when we're edging into whitecough season. Ratpelt will have more than enough patients to look after." _Luckily it seems like Marigoldkit is willing to be his apprentice. That's still a little under three moons away. _

"Of course," Rainsnow whispered. She dipped her head one more time and then walked out, Berryfang on her heels. Harescar watched them steadily until his old apprentice's tail had vanished behind the swinging lichen.

"And no need to be so scared," the ginger tom muttered even though there was no way they could hear him. "It's not like I'll skin you and use your fur to line my nest if you make one mistake."

**OoOoO**

Harescar fell into a dreamless snooze, and spat indignantly when he registered a cold nose nudging his shoulder. He pinned open one eye and recognized mid-day light peeking through the lichen. _Beechflight let me sleep in. Again. _

"What?" he snapped, his voice oozing annoyance like blood out of a wound.

"It's Ratpelt," the cat said, even though Harescar recognized the worn voice. "And it's about Brokenstar. I- I've made a breakthrough discovery with her, and though it doesn't make any sense, and I thought I already ruled it out… well, now it's the definite reason she's been sick."

Harescar's stomach tied itself into a knot, and his heart was definitely not in his chest. Instead, it was probably somewhere among the moon and stars. All his surroundings turned into a haze and the only thing he could think to croak was, "I'll be down in a moment. Thank you."

He could barely make out Ratpelt inclining his head and then slipping back through the lichen. Harescar was very cold all of a sudden, and it felt like the cave walls were closing in on him. He wanted to yowl out loud. He was almost happy, until he realized that Ratpelt's tone had been so neutral, and his words so vague, that maybe this wasn't good news. Maybe this was the death sentence for Brokenstar. She was going to lose her six remaining lives, and Harescar would have to step up and take her place far too soon…

_No. How can you even think of that? _Harescar scolded himself. He got up and stretched, careful not to go too far so as to not reopen his scar; then he groomed his whiskers and any tangled patches of fur he could see. He padded outside and down into the clearing.

**OoOoO**

He entered the medicine den, trying to calm himself down a bit. But when he saw Brokenstar stretched out in a nest, looking upset, his stomach churned and his heart twisted even more. "B- Brokenstar?" he stammered, amber gaze blinking as he approached his mate.

The light brown she-cat was staring straight ahead, particularly at a leaf filled with poppy seeds. Ratpelt was standing in front of it, nostrils flared. He turned to Harescar and blinked. "Brokenstar, will you tell him or will I?"

Brokenstar didn't reply.

Ratpelt sighed gently, not putting in too much attitude due to the cats he was dealing with. He faced Harescar head-on and began, "Brokenstar is—"

"Expecting kits," Brokenstar interrupted.

For a moment Harescar thought she was bluffing. He stood stricken, looking into her eyes and then at Ratpelt. Slowly the medicine cat nodded.

The orange tom's legs folded under him, and he rasped lamely, "That's- that's wonderful news, Brokenstar. I must be the luckiest tom in the world—"

"Oh, don't recite that fake stuff every tom says," Brokenstar hissed, rolling her eyes as she stood up. Harescar realized she was quite plump, even more than her fur made her look. "Harescar, this is not good. We let ourselves get carried away in our moments of pure love."

Harescar snorted as she turned her back on them. Coughing awkwardly, Ratpelt slid out of the den as the deputy went on, "And you say I'm the corny one?" He stepped forward and gingerly placed a paw on her lashing tail, and she stilled it but not by much. "Come on," he protested. "This is a good thing. The full nursery is becoming more empty as apprentices are being made. A brand new litter will put the Clan in a pleasant mood."

"Have you forgotten that we're the leader and deputy of ThunderClan?" The brown she-cat groaned. "We're supposed to consider the Clan our family, just as Ratpelt does! We should be keeping our cats under control, not fawning over newborn kits."

Harescar took in her raised hackles and ears so flat they were hidden in the brown fluff on her head. _She's truly upset, _he thought. _What if she takes out her anger on our kits? I can't let that happen, especially after seeing her at her absolute worst. I need to comfort her somehow about this. But how? _"You need to realize something, dear," he said. "We've created something very special. Two, three, maybe four little lives waiting to enter the world in barely a moon. Imagine seeing miniature copies of myself or you, running around the hollow and being adored for their cuteness and admired for the bloodline they've come from. Great StarClan, Brokenstar, won't they be the great-great-great-grandchildren of the almighty Firestar?"

Brokenstar didn't seem convinced. "My mother is the daughter of Lionblaze, yes, but the main connection ends there," she retorted.

"Then to the Dark Forest with who they're related to!" Harescar exclaimed, exasperated. What did it take? "Didn't you ever wish you had a chance to have kits before you were made deputy, even leader? Weren't you ever jealous seeing Cherryfur or Hopepuddle? Please, just trust me on this one. If you are in with me on this, then I can know for sure that our kits will be loved."

She didn't answer for what felt like eons to Harescar. Then she turned around, tail raised and fur lowered. "Fine," she agreed mildly. "But if I die in kitbirth, you'll be sorry."

Ignoring her comment, Harescar just purred and bounded forward, resting his muzzle on her shoulder. "There's the love of my life who I know."

**OoOoO**

Harescar was walking on cloud nine and knew he would be for a long time to come. There was just one problem to face, but even that didn't seem intimidating right then: telling the Clan their news.

It would be difficult for Brokenstar to hide the truth, even under her thick fur. Her appetite had already grown, so perhaps that would make enough sense to explain her plumpness. But as for actual kits…

Harescar knew he would have to step forward and talk to some cats individually or in small groups first. So he decided to take aside the senior warriors and tell them. He could only hope they would behave maturely.

The orange male clawed his way up to the Highledge and yowled, "Shorthaze, Willowberry, Minnowcloud, Birchfur, and Beechflight, please report to Brokenstar's den now!" Though it was to his dismay, Harescar knew that Minnowcloud was a senior warrior, and it would only be fair if the gray tabby tom was invited to the exclusive meeting as well.

Harescar turned and padded into the den as he heard the five warriors he called begin to climb upward. Brokenstar was sitting up in her nest, plumy tail curled over her paws and also over her belly. Harescar's gaze flicked quickly by her, and he simply sat down in the moss beside her as, one by one, the older warriors entered.

"Take a seat," Brokenstar meowed faintly. "We have some… news."

"And you'd like us to hear it first?" Birchfur blinked, looking flattered.

Harescar ducked his head, then raised it with a sigh and added, "Brokenstar and I consider you five to be our senior, most experienced warriors within ThunderClan. This is an extremely important meeting, and, yes, we want you all to be the first ears to hear this."

Brokenstar looked very restless as she eyed her parents and brother, all with their rumps pressed gingerly to the stone. Meanwhile, Beechflight was staring concernedly at his friend, while Minnowcloud paced behind the others near the exit of the cave, appearing as if he'd rather get back to his previous occupation.

Harescar's pelt prickled and he meowed in a low warning tone to the slick-furred tom, "I'm sure Streampaw can manage on his own for a little while. Come and take a seat with the others, please, Minnowcloud."

Minnowcloud flexed his claws and stormed over, shoving himself in between Willowberry and Beechflight.

Harescar inhaled and then exhaled softly. Clearly he was going to have to do most of the talking, as the awkward silence gradually dawned on him. He cleared his throat. "Um, well, you all know that Brokenstar and I are mates."

A puff of laughter left Minnowcloud's wrinkled nose.

"And as, um, some of you might have guessed would happen—"

"Oh, StarClan, you're expecting kits!" Willowberry cut in, lunging forward toward her daughter. She blinked doleful blue eyes at Harescar. "Forgive me for interrupting, Harescar."

"It's fine, Willowberry," Harescar muttered, too afraid to look at Shorthaze's reaction and instead staring at his paws. _You made it much easier for me, at least. _

Brokenstar curled her lip as Willowberry lapped at her ears, while Shorthaze grumbled, "My daughter's been suffering this long and Ratpelt took his time to define such a simple condition."

"It's hardly simple," Willowberry scoffed. "And I think when you hear something like this, the first words out of your mouth should be 'Congratulations'! Isn't that what you said to Birchfur?"

Shorthaze heaved himself to his paws and grunted, "No, I chided him for killing the ShadowClan leader, remember?"

His mate groaned and licked Brokenstar's cheek. "Well, Brokenstar hasn't done anything wrong, so you—"

It was Willowberry's turn to be interrupted as Shorthaze snarled, "And you, Ginger, sir!" His cloudy gray eyes were fixed on Harescar, and the tom felt his blood turn to ice. "You didn't sense the sarcasm dripping from my tone?" The others looked confused, but Harescar knew what he was talking about. When Shorthaze found out he was mates with Brokenstar, he was furious. But eventually the two conversed after cooling down, and Shorthaze confirmed his approval, and even mentioned it would be fine for them to have kits. Either he had been joking, or he was so surprised now that he was making it up to make Harescar feel worse. Both situations were believable.

Harescar had lost his voice for the moment, but Beechflight swooped in and saved him by nudging his shoulder with a wide smile and purring, "We'll be starting our families together! Birdspring should be kitting in about a moon, and Brokenstar a little after that, right? My kits and your kits will be best friends, just like us!" Harescar nodded numbly.

Birchfur's ears were flat against his head, and he was in a deep argument with his father. "Any normal cat would at least be _happy _for his kit!" the brown tom was spitting heatedly. "Brokenstar hasn't done anything out-of-the-ordinary, unlike me when Cherryfur found out she was expecting. _So you either go hunker down in your nest and miss the lives your children are starting, or be involved and appreciate what you have!_"

Shorthaze hunched his shoulders and unsheathed his claws. Birchfur leaned forward with bared teeth, but Willowberry dove between them just in time before an all-out fight broke out. "I can't believe you two! Brokenstar doesn't need any extra stress right now, and you two are in here making things worse."

Birchfur muttered, "I was defending her" but tucked away his fangs.

Willowberry gazed at Shorthaze, her eyes watering. "You bitter fox-heart. Ratpelt is your best friend."

Harescar blinked. This was news to him. He had never thought about the two older cats being the same age.

The tabby warrior just put his hazy eyes in slits. "Used to be friends. We have barely exchanged a grunt in moons. Besides, it's his fault Brokenstar had to go through immense pain. How couldn't he have been able to tell she was with kits all along?"

Willowberry just turned her back on them, her body shuddering as she sat back down next to her daughter. Brokenstar leaned on her, and Harescar joined them, burying his muzzle in Brokenstar's luxurious milky-brown fur. Birchfur stepped forward and sat down nearby, as well as Beechflight. Shorthaze stood alone, breathing heavily from the exhilaration of his near-physical fight. Minnowcloud was lurking by the exit again, looking terribly bored.

Unfiltered fury fueled Harescar's actions, and his lower lip trembled as he shouted to the sleek tabby, "Go ahead! Leave! You'll never be invited to a meeting like this again."

Before he could take another breath, Minnowcloud was gone. Harescar buried his claws in Brokenstar's bedding, imagining it being Minnowcloud's pelt. _He'll pay later, the stupid badger. _In his mind, in his mist of pain and hurt, Harescar pictured Minnowcloud's smug face. Then he raked his claws straight down it.

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**Yay. Harescar's hatred for Minnowcloud = confirmed. And it'll only get worse ;D**


	9. The Unwanted Ones

**Thank you all so much for the feedback! Can we reach 30 reviews with this update? :D**

**So here is a longer chapter, I have to admit I'm quite proud of this one; tell me what you think ^^"**

**Some Brokenstar/Brownpaw mentor/apprentice bonding time before she goes off-duty...**

**Tell me what you think! I know I have a lot of overused things with this story, such as ShadowClan being the hostile ones. But trust me, soon they won't be the only Clan against Thunder (another cliche thing, ThunderClan being the star). Not to mention the countless enemies within TC Hare &amp; Brown will have to worry about (and right now, they hate each other XD)!**

**Happy holidays, I cannot tell you how happy I am for break, to be able to sit back, relax, and ready Harry Potter (at the end of Book 5, yes!) :P**

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At times, Brownpaw's tiny pinpricks of wounds on his belly still stung when he stretched. Thanks to Streampaw's thorn-sharp claw-tips, they were taking forever to heal; just his luck. But Brownpaw didn't think he could get any more unlucky when he discovered who his new mentor would be…

Frostpaw's punishment for the fight had been to clean out Blackstorm's den, as well as remove any ticks lingering on the elder from earlier in greenleaf. "Blackstorm says there's nothing worse than losing the blood that keeps you warm in the dead of leaf-bare," Berryfang had said when he assigned Frostpaw his foreboding task. "He's been complaining about it since I was born, and trust me, I had to do it once too."

Streampaw, meanwhile, was only confined to camp for a few days. Brownpaw didn't think Rainsnow understood that this was more like a reward for her apprentice. The puppy growled as the pale gray tom strolled by right then, yawning as if he had slept straight through the past two days.

Brownpaw ignored him otherwise, and continued on his way to the elders' den, where Frostpaw was emerging and staggering under the weight of a ton of musty moss. The white cat took one look at him and didn't even have to croak "help" for Brownpaw to come rushing over.

"StarClan, you could at least go in trips," Brownpaw sighed as he tore off part of the rank bedding, leading his brother to the side of the clearing where they deposited the foul material.

Frostpaw just glowered as he headed to the exit to collect fresh moss. "These are medicine cat apprentice duties."

Brownpaw trailed him, gleefully breathing in the scents of the forest. He quickly brushed through a clump of ferns dripping with dew to dilute his scent and grunted, "Well, there's no medicine cat apprentice, so…"

They arrived at a large oak tree, and tore off moss from its roots and the ground surrounding it. The earthy flavor bathed Brownpaw's tongue, but it was almost tasty compared to the stringy, tasteless shrew he'd last consumed. _Leaf-fall will be here before we know it, and already the prey is getting scarce. _

Frostpaw found a few plush bird feathers, and added them to the pile, insisting that Blackstorm was at least better than old Mole-eye.

The two apprentices made their way back to camp, and made a beeline for the honeysuckle bush. Brownpaw ducked under the dead, crunchy tendrils and was greeted by a darkness and quietness routinely interrupted by Blackstorm's wheezing. In the sunlight that filtered through small gaps in the ceiling, the dog could see dust floating in the air. Now he coughed and felt like he could hardly breathe.

"Thank you," rasped Blackstorm, who had been standing shivering in the corner. The pair laid down the moss for him, and the elder sighed in contentment as he curled up. He eyed the bird feathers with his cracked teeth showing in a pleasant smile.

However, his grin transformed to a grimace and he mumbled, "I think I have a few of 'em ticks on my back, one on my ear, and three give or take on all my legs." Frostpaw looked about ready to race up to the Highledge and jump off as Blackstorm continued. "The last apprentice to clean me was Sandpaw, if I'm not mistaken."

Brownpaw retrieved mouse bile for Frostpaw, but when he offered to help his sibling clean, the pale-furred tom refused. "I can handle it," he grumbled. "S'pose it's good practice for… well, I don't know, being an elder?"

As Brownpaw walked out of the den, Blackstorm started another tale. "Did you ever know I had a daughter, Whitekit, along with Flashnight? She didn't make it to be a 'paw…"

Relieved that he could breathe again, Brownpaw inhaled the clear, fresh breeze, feeling extremely joyful until he received a face full of ginger fur.

He had been slouching low, and was short enough to ram directly into Harescar's chest. _Just the cat I was trying to avoid, _thought Brownpaw sullenly as he backed away, staring stonily while the deputy recovered himself, scrambling back to his paws with a frustrated huff.

"Oh, you," the ginger tom said breathlessly. "Look, Brokenstar will be off-duty for a while, so for now I'm your mentor. I probably will be until the end of your apprenticeship."

Brownpaw's stomach performed a backflip and a somersault. "_What_?" he spluttered, flabbergasted. "What do you mean, _off-duty_?"

"It's hardly any of your business—" Harescar started, adopting a snooty look.

"Hardly any of my business?" exclaimed Brownpaw loud enough for a few cats to glance over. "She's my mentor, and I'm concerned! She also happens to be the leader of ThunderClan, _and _she has been sick for nearly a moon!"

Harescar bared his teeth, but before he could speak Brokenstar herself came sauntering up to them. Her fur looked bedraggled and seemed to be groomed particularly to hide her underside. "I think I can train him one last time before I temporarily step back," the brown she-cat mewed firmly to Harescar. Her mate's hackles raised a little and he didn't object, but Brownpaw's pelt itched under that suddenly arrogant amber gaze the whole way out of camp.

It was a painful silence, and Brownpaw veered off the path somewhat to recover his scent at the dewy ferns. But the plants were drier than bracken already. Brownpaw let out a low whine of irritation and returned to Brokenstar's side. She had kept trotting, staring ahead quite absently like she hadn't even noticed he left her flank for a moment.

"Are there any places to disguise my scent besides the ferns back there?" Brownpaw settled on this question to shatter the silence.

Brokenstar startled, blinked, and swung her lightning bolt-colored eyes toward him. "Um, no," she said. "But I think you'll be fine not concealing yourself where we're going."

Brownpaw had just realized they were heading away from the usual training clearing. His paws tingled with a touch of excitement; they were padding in the direction of Carly's home. _No matter how many bad experiences I have there- namely, Tuffy- I'll still always like Carly. _

However, Brokenstar stopped several fox-lengths before they could reach the bushes lining the Thunderpath. She twisted herself to face him completely, which appeared to require enough effort to make Brownpaw nearly reach out and help her. The leader managed, though, and murmured, "Catch me something."

Wondering if this was an assessment of some sort, Brownpaw ventured off, heading up the very faint slope like he was going to visit Carly. Nerves fluttered in his belly like moths at a light. _Did she take me near here on purpose? Usually we're on the other side of our territory. _ShadowClan's border markers drifted through the undergrowth to his nose, and he shuffled farther away from the boundary, fear driving him deeper into their forest. _If ShadowClan ever found out I'm here…_

As he scouted out prey, he pondered over what Brokenstar could possibly need to go off duty for. She seemed to have improved drastically, and was back to sleeping in her own den. The only perplexing thing about her was that she was having trouble getting around. Brownpaw thought back over how she had walked. It had been more like a waddle, like she was carrying something heavy—

His thoughts were halted in their tracks. The mouthwatering odor of squirrel had crammed itself into his nostrils, so strong that Brownpaw practically believed he had buried his nose in a squirrel nest. The invisible trail was drifting down from a particularly tall birch.

Brownpaw hesitated at the base of the tree, frowning as he scraped his claws against the flimsy bark. Just by touching the old tree, it swayed a bit in its roots and a large amount of bark rained down on his head. Disgruntled, Brownpaw shook himself and swallowed his fear. He gripped either side of the birch like he was going to give it a hug; then he heaved himself upward, clinging to the trunk, his body cumbersome and awkward. The tree leaned warningly and although he hadn't heard a heart-stopping _crack _yet, he immediately thought, _This is why dogs don't climb. _

Brownpaw twisted around to view how high up he was, and was shaken to see how far one pull upward had gotten him. He was already easily a fox-length away from the ground. Just a tad farther, and falling would result in injury. _First rule of climbing: never look down. But of course I wasn't taught this, since no one would expect me to _do _what I'm doing right now!_

His claws were embedded in the timber, but seeing as they weren't as flexible as a cat's, Brownpaw could feel their grip loosening. Something resembling terror stirred in his belly. This sent a message to his heart to hammer against his chest like a woodpecker. _Why did I ever do this… _The dog glanced back up, and had to squint to meet a beady gaze glaring back down at him. The squirrels would be impossible to reach as long as he remained a dog and they remained up there.

With a defeated sigh, Brownpaw removed his claws from the bark, but squeezed the tree as he slid back down to the earth, landing softly on his rump. Using his special hunting technique, he hunted down a shrew that looked just as unappealing as the one he had eaten.

When he dropped the kill at Brokenstar's paws, he did not have to look at her to tell she was disappointed. "Very well, Brownpaw," she mewed gently, sounding almost sympathetic. Brownpaw tensed at this tone; had she been watching his failure with the tree? Embarrassment made his legs turn to leaf-thin birch bark for a moment, threatening to collapse. However, he reassembled himself and hastily dumped some leaf mulch on his catch before following Brokenstar onward.

They went along for a while, very slowly due to her pace, gradually inching closer to the ShadowClan border. Brownpaw was starting to recognize symptoms of being sick, as his earlier anxiety had still not left his belly. Eventually, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Pardon me, B- Brokenstar, but we are getting aw… awfully close to the b- border with Shhh… ShadowClan," Brownpaw whimpered, angst distorting his voice.

"Aw, don't be such a kit," Brokenstar mewed dismissively, still striding confidently forward. "With just a few more lessons and hard practice, you could be a warrior within a moon."

Alarm sparked inside him. "B- but I don't want th- that, Brokenstar, no, I w- want to be a war… warrior with Frostpaw!"

"I understand that," Brokenstar said. "I'm just telling you. Thought it might make you feel better when I say this." Inhaling noisily, she spun unhurriedly and met his gaze. "I think it's about time you meet the enemy when we are not in battle with them. You need to heavily disguise yourself at this point, scent-wise, and completely immerse yourself in the brush up ahead to the right. I will interact with some warriors, and perhaps this will give you a slight idea of ShadowClan's personality off the battlefield."

Brownpaw nodded obediently and trudged behind her when she continued onward, although he privately thought he already _had _a general idea of what ShadowClan cats were like. _Proud, wily, and unfortunately have their noses so high in the air that they cannot see, and therefore, not care about others besides themselves._

StarClan granted their unspoken wish, and Brownpaw found an enormous patch of wild garlic, which he saturated his pelt in. _It's so strong, my offspring will inherit the smell of garlic. _

Adorned with a wrinkled nose, Brokenstar dropped him off at the bush and strode ahead so that she could sit in wait with her flexing claws touching the exact edge of the boundary.

As expected, a ShadowClan patrol arrived. In the lead was a very nasty-looking gray she-cat with a distinctive ginger head and amber eyes that pierced like snake fangs. Behind her were two other scarred and smelly warriors, and each cat had a very timid yet defiant apprentice crouched at their flank.

"Brokenstar?" grunted the cinder-colored she-cat. The apprentice next to her, a scruffy black-and-brown she-cat who looked fresh from the nursery, gaped up at the ThunderClan leader.

"Ambermask," Brokenstar greeted the rival warrior evenly. She rose from her sitting position, but remained hunched with her tail swept to her side.

"What do you want?" Ambermask demanded, sounding bored. Brownpaw examined her expression through countless spiky branches. _She probably thinks there's nothing more outrageous ThunderClan can do at this point. _

Brokenstar didn't answer, and instead allowed her gleaming eyes to flutter over the small cats beside the warriors. "New apprentices?"

The black-and-brown cat shifted hopefully, but Ambermask snapped, "What's it to you?" Brownpaw was mildly surprised how abruptly her facial features had changed; the muscles on her face were all taut with rage.

"Well, I will assume they are new apprentices," Brokenstar meowed, unfazed. "Congratulations," she purred, smiling at the siblings. "Young cats are... the future of the Clan."

They all beamed back up at her, only to be smothered by, Brownpaw guessed, their mentors. A tortoiseshell she-cat stood rigidly over a thinly-framed ginger tom, lip curled. "You can teach whatever you want to your apprentices, Brokenstar, but ShadowClan is not going to show its opponents softness that can be compared to a kittypet's way of life!"

Brokenstar did not even twitch a whisker. After a short-lived pause, she chirped, "Well, I suppose that's one of Coldstar's new _rules_. Anyhow, I did not come here to sever our ties even more. I'm trying to make peace."

Ambermask's hackles had spiked, and she spat, "You think we're going to 'make peace' with you after one of you warriors killed my sister?"

Brownpaw recalled how a ShadowClan she-cat, Graystorm, had nearly killed Birdspring while she was expecting kits for the first time. Beechflight had let his claws go too wild on the gray warrior, and she died a little while after that horrific battle.

"It was an accident," Brokenstar shot back, her eyes flashing. "You think he meant to kill her?"

A petite orange tom stepped forward and snarled, "And what about that other warrior- your brother, isn't it- who took a life from Coldstar?"

Brownpaw gulped inaudibly and added a new word to his list of ShadowClan adjectives: _clever. They sure know the most convincing reasons to stir up trouble… most of the time. _

Brokenstar appeared to be struggling to hold herself back from attacking the other warriors. "Creekmeadow, you know Birchfur had every intention not to harm your leader."

The tom's vibrant blue gaze glittered with malice but he did not add anything to his argument.

Ambermask sighed an exaggeratedly angry sigh. "Well, what a way to start off Flowerpaw, Pouncepaw, and Blossompaw's tour of the territory!"

The only cat Brownpaw hadn't noticed was extremely undersized, in the shadow of even her stout mentor. She was solid back save for white patches shaped like blossom petals; he had no doubt this was Blossompaw.

Brokenstar wore a severe look on her face now. "I would have set a good example for them, Ambermask," she uttered to the senior warrior. "Strong bonds between Clans are important, especially as we approach leaf-bare. When times are rough, it's good to have an ally."

Ambermask laughed. She swung her head and smirked at the tortoiseshell, her words dripping with sarcasm. "Isn't she right, Ivywing?"

"Absolutely right," Ivywing agreed, snickering.

"We can fend for ourselves. You always have WindClan," sneered Creekmeadow.

Harshly, Ambermask shoved Flowerpaw to her paws and led the skinny apprentice away. Ivywing followed with Pouncepaw, and Creekmeadow with Blossompaw. None of them looked back except for Blossompaw, whose jaws gaped open in what appeared to be awe. She whispered to Brokenstar in what she surely intended to be an innocent compliment, "You're _massive_!" Then she scampered to catch up with her Clanmates before Creekmeadow would bite off her tail. They melted into the shadows, and Brokenstar watched to make sure they were gone.

Brownpaw emerged from the brush once she signaled that the coast was clear, and then they headed off to pick up his shrew.

"So, what did you learn about ShadowClan cats, besides they're battle-hungry?" Brokenstar asked him, though her voice had drastically changed. Her tone was now very distant and her mind was obviously on something else. At first Brownpaw pretended to ignore it, and answered.

"Well, they're stuck-up, and think they're the smartest of all the Clans."

"Right you are!" Brokenstar meowed through gritted teeth. She stood still all of the sudden, her paws churning the leaf mulch.

"Brokenstar?" Brownpaw leapt forward, brushing her flank. He was startled to see how bulged it was. "What's wrong—" He realized it himself just before she said it.

Her eyes were pained slits. She stared at him pleadingly, as if he could help her. "There are kits moving inside me," she rasped. "But they shouldn't even exist…" She lowered her head and drew in a shaky breath. "… if their mother doesn't want them."

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**Aww, poor unborn kits. Oh well, see you at the next update~**


	10. The Eager Wish

**Hello everyone! Thanks so much for 30+ reviews, this really makes me happy :D**

**So this chapter introduces two of the characters from the prologue. Over a year ago, a fan of TDA PMed me stating they have some OCs for my story. I promised them that the characters would show up in Dusk... and here they are! I apologize for the wait, there were a lot of long periods of writer's block between then and now. I hope you like I wrote your characters into the story C:**

**Happy new year! This will be my last update of 2014 C:**

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The days following Brownpaw's final session with Brokenstar passed as slowly as a frozen river moved.

Though they seemed endless, Harescar knew the days should be getting shorter as they edged into leaf-bare. Nevertheless, he found himself extremely shocked when, a quarter-moon after he found out about his kits, dusk enveloped the forest earlier than ever before that season.

He shuddered, strolling at the head of a hunting patrol on the way back to camp. A breeze was whispering through the trees, and the wind made the deputy feel as exposed as being on the moor.

A squirrel was swinging in his jaws, and a particularly difficult one it had been to catch. Harescar shivered again as he recalled scaling a rickety birch tree to reach the darn prey's nest. It was then like a miniature battle up and down the swaying tree branch to capture the little thing. Annoyance swept over the ginger tom, and he bit harder into the squirrel's flesh even though it could no longer feel a thing.

"I swear, each greenleaf it gets colder and colder," grumbled Birchfur, looking thoroughly disgruntled as he heaved his two blackbirds and robin another step forward. "I remember my first greenleaf. It was like the sun would never leave."

Flashnight smirked, though he was trembling and picking up his pace to match Harescar's. "You speak like you're an elder, Birchfur," he meowed with a twinkle in his yellow eyes. "Yet I'm not much younger than you." He tightened his grip around his vole, which he had previously loosened to talk.

The final member of the patrol was Birchfur's apprentice, Creampaw, who laughed mischievously. He hadn't caught anything, much to his mentor's embarrassment. Still flustered, Birchfur turned to glare at the small tom; Creampaw coughed and awkwardly offered to take one of his birds.

"Thank you," Birchfur grunted, handing over the robin.

"You're doing well," Flashnight assured Creampaw, who smiled around the fresh-kill. Birchfur's eyes grew huge at hearing this, like he had forgotten Creampaw was Flashnight's son.

They gradually inched closer to the camp, and Harescar twisted to face them before they could reenter the stone hollow. He set down his squirrel and meowed audibly, "Good haul, all of you. You all deserve to eat as soon as the queens, kits, and elder are finished."

Creampaw's eyes glowed as if he had just been told he was getting his warrior name right then. He scampered ahead of Birchfur and Flashnight, hot on Harescar's heels as they made their way to the 'kill pile to deposit their catches. Blackstorm dipped his head admiringly to his kin and chose a blackbird for himself. Cherryfur and Hopepuddle, smiling gratefully at the hunters, took Harescar's squirrel and the robin back to their kits, while Beechflight nudged Harescar playfully and snatched up the vole for Birdspring.

"Okay, dig in!" Harescar told his fellow patrolmates, and Flashnight had to restrain Creampaw as the deputy picked up Birchfur's other blackbird, thanked the brown warrior, and headed up to Brokenstar's den.

He found his mate dozing in her nest, one leg splayed on top of his own bunched-up bedding. Harescar set down the blackbird and nosed through the parched moss, wrinkling his nose. He would ask Brownpaw to replace their bedding tomorrow. With a soft sigh so as to not wake Brokenstar, he settled down after moving her leg to the side. He fixed his molten amber gaze on the sunset outside. It was beautiful…

He threw a sideways glance at Brokenstar, but she was still knocked out. _I wish she could see the sunset… _

Harescar lazily munched on the blackbird, leaving more than half for Brokenstar even though his belly was still rumbling. After all, she was eating for more than one, so this probably wouldn't even be enough— _ugh, why didn't I bring up something else for her? I was only thinking for myself! There was a particularly juicy-looking mouse on the pile too… _

One by one, his eyelids slipped over his optics, and a deep snooze fell over him. His sleep was peaceful for a long while, until he heard his name being urgently hissed in his ear, and he jerked to wakefulness. The blackbird still lay in front of him, now having attracted a few flies which Harescar swatted away. He frowned at his still-dozing mate, then looked to see who had roused him.

The outline of Skyclaw was illuminated by a rich, brilliant early dawn light. He had slept from sunset to sunrise, quite an accomplishment. He turned politely away from the tabby to yawn, then blinked back at her. "What is it?" he whispered, carefully detangling himself from his nest.

Bits of bracken were still stuck on Skyclaw's pelt, and her pale eyes, interestingly comparable to the current sky, were round with concern. "Try not to wake up Brokenstar," she insisted gently. "But you have to see this. There are two cats out there who w- want our… er, leader." She bit her lip apologetically at Brokenstar, like the brown she-cat could hear her.

"Don't worry, Skyclaw, she'll understand," Harescar murmured, rising and following the tabby she-cat out of the cave into the chilly morning. "Thank you for not trying to wake Brokenstar."

Skyclaw laughed meekly. "Trust me, I know what it's like to be in her condition. All you want to do is sleep." Her smile faded as they reached the bottom of the stone wall. Sitting expectantly nearby the thorn barrier, flanked by Beechflight and Skunkflight, were a dark gray tabby she-cat and a petite dark brown tabby, not much older than a newborn kit.

"Hello, Harescar of ThunderClan. How can we help you?" Harescar meowed, swallowing back his fear. Though these cats weren't scarred and gnarled like the common rogue, they didn't have the calm air of loners either.

The adult cat stood up, her freshly-groomed cream underbelly standing out harshly against the rest of her dark pelt. "Hello, Harescar," she mewed, very business-like and cold. "I am Skye"— Skyclaw blinked in mild surprise— "and this is my daughter, Roxane. For generations, my family has traveled, usually mother and daughter, to find a suitable home from where we originally came from. It seems that Roxane and I are the first to succeed with this tradition."

Harescar's brow furrowed. _Intriguing family tradition, but at least she's telling the truth. I think. _"Are you saying you wish to join ThunderClan?" he asked warily.

"I suppose so, yes," Skye replied, keeping her tone cool and firm.

But then Harescar recognized an arrogant voice booming from the back of the crowd, becoming louder as he got closer: Minnowcloud. The gray tabby growled, finally emerging out of the clustered cats, "StarClan, at least make a path when someone is trying to push through." His nostrils flared and he stepped forward to stand beside Harescar and face Skye. "What gives you the right to just prance into our camp and make yourself at home?"

Old anger at Minnowcloud was still smoldering inside Harescar, but it was ignited again at this. "What gives you the right to stomp up here and snap at innocent cats?" the ginger male shot back.

Minnowcloud curled his lip. "Fine, be like that Firestar fellow and accept anyone who sets paw in the camp, even if it's a dusty cat who has a moon left to live." He spun around and stormed away, but not completely leaving the inner circle.

"This isn't my decision to make," Harescar went on to Skye and Roxane, who was crouched under her mother's belly and sporting anxious light green eyes. "I am only second-in-command; let me get the leader."

Before Skye could say anything else, he whirled around and started up to the leader's den, dreading having to bother a grumpy, expecting she-cat.

He entered the cave and forced himself to poke Brokenstar's shoulder. Right away she startled, and demanded, "What?"

"There are two rogues— or loners— I don't know what they are, but it's a she-cat and her daughter who want to join the Clan."

Brokenstar groaned and rolled onto her back to stretch, exposing her large belly. Harescar licked his chest fur and waited until she had pushed herself to her paws, then led her back down to the clearing.

Brokenstar ran a moistened paw over each set of whiskers, then introduced herself to Skye and Roxane. "Greetings. Brokenstar of ThunderClan. I hear you would like to join us."

"Yes," Skye answered, eying the light brown she-cat uncertainly. "You all seem to have strange names. Does this mean we have to change our names as well?"

"It's preferred that you do," Brokenstar responded, suppressing a yawn. Harescar snorted and she sent a fake annoyed scowl his way.

"Very well," Skye sighed. "I will do what it takes, as long as we never have to travel again."

Brokenstar surveyed them for a moment, obviously hesitating for some reason. From the edge of the crowd, Minnowcloud yelled, "Come on! If you accepted a dog, you should let these two in in a heartbeat!"

Skye immediately stiffened. "Dog?" Her liquid orange eyes expanded to twin lakes in fear. She spun to stare accusingly at Brokenstar. "There's a dog in this group?"

"Yes." Harescar quickly found Brownpaw, taller than most of the cats, tail low and stance cautious as he approached the inner circle. "And that dog is me. I was not much older than your kit, you see, and I would not have made it on my own…"

"A dog!" Skye repeated like she hadn't even heard his words. Her voice was now high-pitched and tight. "A dog in this camp! I'm sorry, but I will not live with a dog, nor expose my daughter to one. Dogs are sworn enemies of cats, why you would let one in to feast on your young is beyond me…"

There was some scuffling from the heart of the gathered felines, and Orangekit, Marigoldkit, and Furrykit burst out. "Brownpaw is our friend!" Orangekit squeaked indignantly.

"That's right," agreed Marigoldkit. "He has been since we were really little!"

Furrykit faced Skye furiously, craning his neck so he could meet her heated copper gaze. "A cat who doesn't like dogs is a cat who isn't worth our time!"

Skye was quite unfazed by the kits, and she only muttered, "Clearly not." She raised her voice to address Brokenstar and Harescar. "I see I've been mistaken in calling this our home. We shall continue to one of your neighboring groups—"

"I suggest not going to ShadowClan," Harescar joked half-heartedly, but the gray tabby she-cat wasn't even listening to him. She was gasping at Roxane, who had tottered over to Brownpaw and attached herself to his leg. Brownpaw was barking quietly and sweetly nuzzling her.

"Roxane!" Skye shrieked, standing stricken a couple fox-lengths away from the duo. "Over here. Now!"

Roxane ignored her, giggling and biting at Brownpaw's leg good-naturedly with sharp kit teeth.

Skye made a livid move toward Brownpaw, but Brokenstar stood in her path, panting with the effort of getting there. "No" was all she could get out before catching her breath. Then she added, "Brownpaw is the friendliest and kindest dog I've ever met. If he was like any other dog, he would've swallowed Roxane whole by now." Skye visibly shuddered at the thought. Brokenstar grinned reassuringly at her. "But he hasn't eaten her, has he? He's licking her and playing with her. He is not like any other dog. If you trust me, you can trust him."

"I trust him," Harescar meowed, trudging forward to stand next to his mate's round flank.

"As do I," Flashnight agreed, followed begrudgingly by Lightningdrop and Creampaw, who had suffered being covered in Brownpaw's slobber as a small kit. Hazelpaw, Breezepaw, and Dewpaw were quick after them, all nodding vigorously.

Beechflight helped Birdspring limp forward in agreement, and Willowberry pushed Shorthaze to nod. They were trailed by Birchfur, Cherryfur, and their kits, as well as Firetail, Hopepuddle, and their offspring. Skyclaw and Frostpaw beamed from their places beside Brownpaw and Roxane, both of them seemingly oblivious to all the attention they were receiving. Sandpebble and Leopardtooth commenced a low chant, joined by Berryfang and Rainsnow, which rose to cheers for Brownpaw, and this finally captured the puppy's attention. His head snapped up, but then he ducked it humbly.

Skye sighed, appearing not to be comforted in the slightest but giving in for the sake of her daughter. "Very well," she repeated. "Very well. Can you rename us now? It's better to fit in right away than…" She paused, raking her distinctive sunset-colored orbs over Brownpaw. "… standing out."

"That's what you might think," Harescar whispered so only he could hear. He moved aside to allow Brokenstar, Skye, and Roxane— finally detached from Brownpaw— to pass. Brokenstar rushed herself to get to the Highledge, and was completely winded by the time she reached the top of the pile of rocks. The whole time the Clan shifted restlessly below her. Then the light brown she-cat started abruptly, "ThunderClan, there are two cats who wish to join our ranks today. I, Brokenstar, leader of ThunderClan, show my approval by giving these rogues the names of Clan cats." Her sharp eyes fell on Skye. "Skye, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Leopardtooth, closest to Skye, whispered something in her ear, and Skye said aloud sternly, as if she was chiding a younger cat, "I do."

"Then from this moment on, your name will be… Fogblossom. We all honor your bravery for coming here and asking to be part of the Clan. Seeing as you are totally new to our ways, there will be a warrior assigned to help you get accustomed. Welcome to ThunderClan."

Fogblossom nodded, not moving a muscle to get away from Roxane, who was quivering with palpable excitement.

Brokenstar smiled wanly down at the dark tabby kit. "This kit wishes to join ThunderClan along with her mother, Fogblossom. From this moment on, you will be known as… Wishkit. Welcome to the Clan, little one."

Wishkit squealed happily and buried herself into Fogblossom's fur with an enormous yawn. "I'm tired!" she announced loudly.

"I suspected," Brokenstar called from the Highledge with a hint of an amused laugh in her tone. "Cherryfur, Hopepuddle, show Fogblossom and Wishkit where they will be sleeping." She nodded at Hazelpaw and Creampaw. "Hazelpaw and Creampaw, you will gather moss for your new Clanmates' nest."

Harescar lifted his head upward and locked gazes with Brokenstar. She grinned weakly at him, then ambled back into the darkness of the cave.

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**She is so lazy... XD See you in 2015!**


	11. The Unbearable Itch

**Wow, 35 reviews... thanks so much to all of you :"D**

**So here is an interesting chapter. Brownpaw certainly proves he is in that rebellious stage in this one XD**

**Also, I have a poll on my profile concerning one of my other stories, A New Destiny. Even if you don't read it, if you could vote on which name you prefer, that would be awesome!**

**Okay, here goes!**

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Within a half-moon of joining ThunderClan, Fogblossom and Wishkit seemed to be fitting in excellently. The only thing about Fogblossom that made her stand out was her pronounced dislike for Brownpaw.

Brownpaw had recognized this the moment he saw the finicky queen's expression upon glimpsing Wishkit glommed onto him. So, wisely, he kept his distance.

The next Gathering crept up on the cats, and as always ThunderClan was weary of another perplexing proposition from Coldstar. Of course, Brownpaw couldn't attend, so he stayed back and bade farewell to Frostpaw.

The puppy sat back with a sigh next to the camp exit. He could hardly believe he was nearly two moons into his apprentice training. It felt like he had just been named a 'paw yesterday at times.

Brokenstar had insisted on traveling to the Gathering, but Harescar could not go because he had fallen ill with a minor cough. The ginger tom's sickness seemed to prove that, unfortunately, greenleaf was winding to an end. In his place, Beechflight went as deputy; Brownpaw could still see the glowing look on the long-legged tabby's face as he pranced out of camp hot on Brokenstar's heels.

Out of the corner of his eye, Brownpaw could see Wishkit squirming as her mother bathed her; Breezepaw pacing by the apprentices' den (Dewpaw had gotten to go to the Gathering); and Minnowcloud sauntering toward the fresh-kill pile. Somewhat intrigued that the gray tabby was doing something other than coddling his favored son, Brownpaw continued to watch him discreetly.

Minnowcloud rooted through the 'kill pile, nosing aside a mouse and tossing away a vole. Then, with a faint trill of approval, he selected a thrush and dislodged it from under a rabbit. He seemed to be sniffing through the food for a moment, and Brownpaw expected him to settle down and eat.

But he didn't.

Instead, the half-blood warrior heaved the small bird up in his jaws and started to trot over to Brownpaw. Immediately, the dog tensed and rose to his full height, leaving Minnowcloud in his shadow.

The arrogant tom merely twitched his whiskers in what appeared to be amusement and set down the thrush at Brownpaw's paws. "A peace offering," he mewed evenly.

Brownpaw was utterly shocked. "W- well, you've caught me off-guard," he mumbled finally, unable to meet those blue eyes and settling on staring at the thrush intently.

"An olive branch," Minnowcloud repeated, already sounding quite impatient as he pushed the prey closer to Brownpaw. Brownpaw shrugged and thanked him quietly before leaning down to take a bite.

Before he could close his jaws around a tender morsel, there was a disbelieving screech and clouds of dust exploded around Brownpaw. Coughing, the dog leaped away from the juicy food and growled, "What?"

"Spit it out! Spit it out!"

The disturbed earth cleared up, and Brownpaw recognized an estranged Harescar, amber eyes milky from illness. The orange tom was now coughing vehemently as if he hadn't tasted water in eons.

"Oh, get off it, Harry," Minnowcloud drawled, smirking. "You're not the Clan's medicine cat nor the Clan's prophesized hero; you haven't seen a vision of Brownpaw dying from eating my peace offering."

Harescar's fit ended and he snapped in a raspy voice, "You know as well as I do there's something in that thrush, Minnowcloud." He swung his head toward Brownpaw, and the apprentice sensed the air of someone not one hundred percent. "Did you swallow any of it?"

Brownpaw shook his head numbly, greatly annoyed with his mentor. _Minnowcloud is offering a truce! He's just being his usually smirking, ornery self while doing it. _

"Good. Very good," Harescar murmured and then scowled back at the cinder-colored warrior. "No cat brings fresh-kill over to another and declares a truce. If anything, we're at a stalemate and you have nothing better to do than sneak something into Brownpaw's food."

His tone was already growing clearer, and for a few heartbeats Brownpaw started to realize Harescar's logic when Minnowcloud retorted gently, "Did you see me carrying anything? Did I come from the medicine den? Don't even say anything, because the answer's no. I was just trying to be nice, but I can see _this _side doesn't appreciate what is given to them."

Pelt prickling, Brownpaw watched Minnowcloud kick the thrush into the overgrown bushes at the side of the clearing before storming off to Skunkflight.

"I was hungry," the dog mumbled lamely.

"Come on, we're training," Harescar croaked. With a brisk lash of his tail, the ginger deputy rammed himself against his apprentice in a silent _get a move on_.

"B- but you're sick!" exclaimed Brownpaw incredulously. "Surely you don't feel like—"

In a low voice fluctuating from controlled to fury-infused, Harescar said, "Get out of the camp _now_, Brownpaw. We need to talk."

Brownpaw wasn't about to argue with _that_, and he promptly scurried through the thorn barrier. Luckily, his usual patch of weeds was still dewy from that morning, and he rubbed himself through it.

"Okay…" Harescar took a deep breath and stopped him several fox-lengths out of camp. "Look, you think I want to be traipsing around while my throat is drier than snake scales? I had to come up with some excuse to get out of there, even if it means facing verbal abuse from Ratpelt later."

Brownpaw blinked in the darkness, and finally was able to make out Harescar's shivering form huddled against the breeze. The stab of sympathy he felt was short lived, and he made his tone icy as he uttered, "It was just food, and it smelled normal. I've been doing duties for the nursery and elder all day, and I think I deserved a break with a nice thrush."

"A nice thrush from _Minnowcloud_, of all cats!" Harescar yodeled, and Brownpaw resisted the urge to slap his tail over his mouth.

"Um, quiet?" he hissed as an alternative.

"Oh, yes," Harescar grunted. He surveyed the puppy for a heartbeat or two. Then he continued, "Anyway, I don't think that thrush was any nicer than Minnowcloud. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw you accepting something from… from _h- him_!"

Brownpaw's eyes flashed, and during one swift moment, burning anger melted away the chilliness of the dew seeping into his skin. "So you were spying on me?"

"No, I was looking out of the den when I saw you making that foolish—"

"If anyone has been foolish, it's _you_. You became livid with me for exploring threats to the Clan!"

Harescar snorted. "Exploring? _Exploring_? You were stalking some she-dog you like."

"And good thing I was, because she has a new companion with two rows of teeth that would tear Wishkit to shreds," Brownpaw snarled.

Harescar leaned into his face. "They wouldn't even know we exist if you just kept away. But no, you had to go and alert them of our presence just over the 'border'. Thanks to you, the entirety of ThunderClan is in danger."

"That's a stretch," scoffed Brownpaw. "And you would really be so devastated to see Carly's pal sample Minnowcloud?"

"I would never wish a painful, slow death even to my worst enemy," Harescar murmured. "I hope you wouldn't either." He drew back from Brownpaw's curled muzzle and whispered, "You've changed since early newleaf."

Brownpaw swallowed shakily. "What?"

"You've changed," Harescar repeated. "You… you're not as sweet as you used to be." He narrowed his shiny optics. "The trust of almost every ThunderClan cat is on your shoulders, Brownpaw. Be careful what choices you make, because if you lose that trust—"

He was interrupted by the unmistakable pounding sound of the pawsteps of cats returning from the Gathering. Brownpaw turned away from the cumbersome drumming growing louder through the undergrowth, and growled in one final warning to the deputy, "Quit treating me like vermin. I cannot help my changes." He whirled his head around and stared unblinkingly at Harescar. "You've changed, too, since early newleaf. You automatically think all dogs are evil scum."

He started to run back toward camp, Harescar's garbled words of "Brownpaw, you know that's not true—" blurred in his ears as the first cats from the Gathering patrol exploded into the clearing where they had been talking.

White hot anger seared the edges of Brownpaw's vision, anger at Harescar, anger at his mother for letting herself get killed by that fox, anger at himself. Swiftly, he mulled over the conversation in his head, and knew he had said a lot of foolish or pointless things. _I don't care. I'll show Harescar he can't treat me like an idiot. _

Just strides ahead of the Gathering cats and, most likely, a stupefied Harescar, Brownpaw barreled into the stone hollow and took a sharp right, surrounding himself in the thick weeds. He nosed about until he could finally close his jaws around the soft, fleshy thrush Minnowcloud had thrown into the shockingly green thicket of leaves earlier.

The dog backed out of the weeds and tore into the thrush like it was the throat of his worst adversary. He didn't even hear the distressed or terrified murmurs from his audience, and ignored the feathers he had forgotten to pluck sliding down in his throat like long, lightweight stones.

Finally he had finished the miniscule fresh-kill just as his skin started to prickle. His first thought was _Harescar was right _until he let out a groan of pain, hunching a little as discomfort crawled all over him. Within moments, he was coughing violently in addition. Through rapidly-watering eyes, he scoured the camp for Minnowcloud. The gray tabby was nowhere to be seen, but Brownpaw could picture him, snickering with Skunkflight in a shadowy corner of the warriors' den.

Itches had erupted all over his irritated skin, and Brownpaw scratched furiously as if he was buried under a blanket of fleas. He released another howl, and gradually the cats around him came to their senses and before long he was surrounded.

Rainsnow's concerned face swam before him. "Brownpaw, are you alright?"

"Why is your skin all red?" squeaked Furrykit somewhere in the distance.

"His skin is irritated, fuzz-brain!" came Marigoldkit's reply.

He could feel himself stumble, and his legs caved in underneath his trembling and prickling body. A guttural noise was produced in his throat, but no words came after that.

Finally he saw a ray of hope as Frostpaw leaped before him, his blue eyes round and glittering through the developing haze. "We have to get him to the medicine den, are you all stupid?" shouted the white cat. No one appeared to make any immediate moves after a heartbeat, so with a loud grumble Frostpaw moved to Brownpaw's side, and moments later the puppy was being dragged by his scruff. Brownpaw was sure this must be painful, but he couldn't feel anything but the need to scratch, scratch, scratch…

**OoOoO**

Not much later, Brownpaw roused, and a wave of unfiltered exhaustion swept over him. He promptly closed his eyes, but was jerked awake again by the sensation of something freezing cold on his flank, like ice.

He lifted his head and moved his tongue around, attempting to moisten his bone-dry mouth. However, he realized his tongue was swollen beyond belief and stuck it out numbly. It was coated in a green gel, and though Brownpaw had no doubt it tasted horrible, he couldn't pick up any taste at the moment. There was a mutter behind him, and he quickly lowered his head again.

His entire body felt slimy and disgusting. He realized that the green gel must be all over him. _What happened to me? _

"Time for another dose of honey," someone announced in a singsong voice. Brownpaw grunted as he craned his neck to get a view of Marigoldkit parading in his direction, a leaf dripping amber liquid crammed in her mouth.

"Mari…" he rasped, and she vigorously shook her head.

"No, no. Don't speak. It won't help," she mewed. She then glanced around with wide golden eyes. "Good, he's out." She twisted back around to face a questioning look, and explained, "Ratpelt says only he should administer the honey to you, but he's out restraining Cherryfur and Skyclaw, and it's been a while since your last dose, so I think—"

"— you should obey my orders." Both Brownpaw and Marigoldkit looked up, and the she-kit released a squeak of dissatisfaction as Ratpelt bent down and gently snatched the dripping leaf from her. "You're four moons, Marigoldkit, now, not six. If you want to be my apprentice in the future, you need to learn—"

"I know—"

"— to obey my every command _and _to not interrupt," the medicine cat finished softly. He smiled warmly at her despite his scolding and stepped over her to get to Brownpaw. "Alright, Brownpaw. Just lean back your head and I'll drip the honey down your throat. You'll have to swallow a few times, of course, so prepare yourself for that."

Brownpaw was clueless as to what he meant until he had swallowed the first leaf-ful of soothing liquid. The incredible urge to scratch the itch in his throat surged over him, but all he could do was lift one forepaw and rub it feebly on his neck.

"Just give it a moment to sink in," said Ratpelt after the third leaf-ful. "You'll feel much better." Brownpaw opened his mouth, but Ratpelt stopped him with a firm shake of his head. "Trust me, talking won't help. You can ask all the questions you want later."

_But what happened to me? _Brownpaw knew telepathic communication was impossible, but nevertheless he just stared at Ratpelt as the russet-furred tom cleaned up the slimed leaves. The medicine cat glanced up again and then smiled… again.

"Oh! You probably want to know what happened to you, right? Why you're all itchy?"

Brownpaw gratefully nodded, and ended up having to grit his teeth so he wouldn't scratch off the gel.

"That bird you retrieved from the undergrowth over there was in the middle of a patch of poison ivy. Nasty stuff, even if you touch a paw pad to it, that pad will itch. No one knew that ivy was there since it was hidden in the heart of those weeds. Luckily, you discovered it for us, so it's being taken care of now so no kits wander into it. Unluckily, you suffered the consequences of touching poison ivy all over your body _and _consuming food covered in poison ivy."

With a long, drawn-out moan, Brownpaw leaned back and tried not to think ahead of the days he would remain, itching, in this tickly moss nest and too-hot, stuffy medicine den.

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**Okie, hope you liked it ^^**


	12. The Hollow Rustle

**Alrighty guys, here's the update! Not the longest chapter, but it is fairly action-packed.**

**Also, I noticed a mistake in the allegiances! Shorthaze's eyes are still hazy gray (gave him his name of course), not amber :3**

**Okie, bai!**

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Beechflight's big day came nearly six moons after Brownpaw joining ThunderClan, just when the leaves were starting to mellow to the color of rust and the wind was getting somewhat chillier.

Harescar was lying drowsily on the sunning rocks in the heart of the stone hollow; his eyes were partially shut, and he was halfway between unconsciousness and wakefulness. It was only a little while past dawn, and the sky was still fading to blue from inky cream.

Through half-slit optics, he recognized a tabby stumbling toward him, paws flying all over the place. At first thinking it was Firetail wild on catmint, Harescar merely turned away, not wanting to be disturbed. Then there was a sharp prod in his shoulder, and the panting in his ear was unmistakable. Harescar swung his head around and smirked. "It's time, is it?" he asked his old friend.

"Y- yes," stammered Beechflight with round and worried emerald eyes. "W- what should I—"

"Well, don't go to me, get the medicine cat!" Harescar sighed and twitched his whiskers in amusement as the long-legged warrior darted to Ratpelt's den. The deputy rose to his paws and bought time from returning to his frantic comrade by performing a slow, easy stretch. He frowned up at the cave behind the Highledge and thought of how if Birdspring was kitting, Brokenstar would be soon as well…

Beechflight emerged from the medicine den, trailing a bleary-eyed but business-like Ratpelt, who trotted with a thick bundle of herbs packed into his jaws. Harescar joined them, but Ratpelt stopped short at the nursery entrance and ambled back around to gaze at the toms solemnly. "Sorry, you two, but it's recommended that no tomcats besides myself travel past this point." From inside the milky den, there was a low groan that transformed into a pitched wail within heartbeats, and while Beechflight appeared ready to faint, Ratpelt didn't flinch. "Just stay here, and I promise that you will have not just a mate but kits too when I emerge again."

Harescar was glad to sit down again, but Beechflight paced back and forth toward and away from the ginger warrior. No words were exchanged until the first dawn patrol returned laden with prey. Flashnight dropped his pair of squirrels on the 'kill pile and bounded over, smiling warmly. "I suspect Birdspring is kitting?" he meowed with a courteous nod to Harescar.

"Ye- yeah… yeah," Beechflight gulped as he answered.

"Trust me, I've been in your current position twice," Flashnight said with a hint of a purr as he joined the waiting toms. "Everything will be fine."

Beechflight looked bewildered as he glanced back at the black male. "Huh? Twice?"

Flashnight did not look at all offended. "I was forgetful the first time, too. My first litter with Lightningdrop is Dewpaw and Breezepaw, and my second litter with her is Creampaw and Hazelpaw."

"Oh… oh, yeah," Beechflight grunted, pacing all the more quickly as the sound of a twig crunching between teeth drifted from the nursery.

The more he watched Beechflight's legs— now blurs, his strides were so long and fast— the more Harescar felt anxiety building in his belly, an unstable and teetering tower of dead mice. "Er, Flashnight? What if- what if something is wrong? I mean, when Broken—"

"Same as I said to our panicking fellow here," Flashnight smiled. "Even if one of the kits has something that slows them down a bit physically, it doesn't mean it will slow down their spirit."

This comforted Harescar a little, but concerns still flooded through his mind. Jerking his face away from Flashnight, he settled on questioning Beechflight to perhaps calm down his friend. "Do you know how many kits you and Birdspring are having?"

"T- two or three," Beechflight mewed shortly. "What Ratpelt estimated, since it's the common number. I'm hoping… fo- for two, one and one, but th—"

"Congratulations, Beechflight!" Ratpelt's head exploded from the hot interior of the nursery. "You have a daughter!"

"A- a daughter?" Beechflight meowed faintly, but the russet tom had already disappeared back into the den.

"Wow, way to go, mate!" Harescar purred.

"Many congratulations. Three-fourths of my offspring are just that," Flashnight added.

Before he could stop himself, Harescar was plunged ahead a quarter-moon or so in his imagination. Now he was the one pacing, and Beechflight was bragging about his kits. Flashnight was there, soothing them with his whimsical words.

Countless howls and struggling arose from the leader's den. Harescar's heart was far from his chest, perhaps it was in the next moon…

Then he was introduced to his kits. Three feeble, mewling she-cats, all with a different disability: Harescar swayed on his paws as he met a blind daughter, a deaf daughter, a daughter with six toes on one paw—

He was flung back to the present as Ratpelt's stinking breath floated around his muzzle again. The medicine cat looked exasperated, and whirled on Beechflight. "You have to get in here, I'm afraid. She says she won't do anything unless you're in here to see your last kit be born."

Beechflight hesitated, and another yell rose from the twig-constructed den. "It's now or never, Beech," Harescar urged his friend, and gently nudged him forward. Ratpelt then dragged the light tabby into the den.

Moments later, there was a delighted shout, and Beechflight burst from the den for a heartbeat to announce, "I have a son, and wait 'til you see him! Come on!"

Harescar walked in first, and found all of the nests deserted except for Birdspring's. The dark tabby she-cat's amber eyes were dull with exhaustion as she lay her head on her moss. She managed to offer him a weak grin, which he returned, except broader.

Suckling at the queen's belly were two miniscule kits, one a beautiful brown tabby and the other a stark white. "They're precious," Harescar gasped. They were so fragile, he feared they would crumble if he even breathed on them.

"She said I could name them both," Beechflight informed his buddy with surprise etched on his thin features. "I suppose I'll do as my extraordinarily brave mate wishes!" He beamed and touched his nose to Birdspring. The white-chested she-cat stirred but did not open her eyes.

"Before you do that," interjected Ratpelt hastily as he gathered up his leftover herbs, "I'm just letting you know that Birdspring needs to take one borage flower for the first three days of the kits' lives. Also, Birdspring will be out of it for a while. I gave a poppy seed for the pain and overexcitement; despite it being a rather short birth, she was completely bone-tired at the end of it. I'm not shocked, she went through three sticks. But nevertheless, don't let me spoil your happiness." The medicine cat dipped his head to Harescar and then departed, leaving a stack of three petite purple flowers.

Beechflight nodded curtly and returned to gazing down proudly at his offspring. He then thoughtfully rested his tail on the she-cat's striped back. "She was born just as the leaves are turning brown. Her pelt is brown. How about Rustlekit, for the leaves rustling in the breeze?"

Harescar nodded, loving the name. There was a noise from Birdspring that probably indicated her approval.

Before Beechflight could even move his tail in the tom's direction, the white newborn lifted his head from Birdspring's belly and released a high mewl. Tiny white fangs protruded from his gaping mouth. He swiftly returned to his meal, and Beechflight cried, "Oh, it looked like he had little snake fangs, did you see? Snake fangs can be hollow… Hollowkit!"

Harescar flicked his tail at the exit. "And he was born in a stone _hollow_."

Hollowkit squirmed in consent, and Beechflight laughed joyfully. "Yes, yes! They're so perfect…" He trailed off and glanced up from his children. He continued in a whisper, "Just like your kits will be."

"Thank— yes, I'm sure— thank you," mumbled Harescar. The orange deputy shuffled his paws on the plush ground, then muttered something about telling Brokenstar the news and giving someone else a turn to see the kits.

Beechflight barely seemed to hear him, and just waved him away, eyes trained on Rustlekit and Hollowkit.

Harescar knew he hardly deserved to feel the burning jealousy in the center of his chest that was similar to heartburn. _My best friend has two healthy kits, and I'm happy for him. I have my own litter on the way. It's just… well, it's _me_, something's bound to go wrong, of course… _

He nudged his way through the crowd. Even though Beechflight had no living family and Birdspring's only thriving kin was her sister, Cherryfur, there were still plenty of cats wanting to see the newborns. Sure enough, the tortoiseshell leaped in his path, bits of moss still clinging to her dappled coat.

"Well?" she demanded. "Everything's alright? How many? Genders?"

"Everything is splendid," Harescar replied. "But it's not my place to tell you about the kits. I'm sure Beechflight is looking forward to saying it himself."

Cherryfur sighed but nodded in gratitude and moved past him, officially freeing Harescar from the buzzing throng of bee-like cats. The second-in-command hurtled up the rocky wall and entered the leader's cave.

"Ugh, I'm so fat, I can't even move," groaned Brokenstar as he walked in. "Thanks a lot."

He only half-smiled, and sat beside her in the darkness. "I'm sure you've heard the news."

"And the _noise_," Brokenstar meowed. "Birdspring certainly didn't make kitbirth _sound _easy." She shuddered. "I sure hope you didn't watch it?"

"No, no," Harescar responded. "But they had two: a she-cat, Rustlekit, and a tom, Hollowkit. Rustlekit looks just like a lighter version of her mother, and Hollowkit a very pale version of his father. He's solid white."

Brokenstar arched her brow. "Hollowkit?" She chuckled. "Just like my mother, naming me Brokenkit for my warrior name to be the 'beautiful' Brokenwing, only for me to lose it later on."

Harescar rested his muzzle on her soft head. "I think your name is beautiful. You're not a bloodthirsty murderer like that ancient ShadowClan cat."

"Why, thanks!"

He pulled back and stared into those yellow eyes that he wanted to never lose, that he still wanted to be gazing into as an elder. "Really. Your name is beautiful, just like you… your everything. Your luscious fur, creamy like brown milk. Your narrowed eyes, lighting up my world like a lightning strike. Your voice, there to keep me sane even when the Clan is slipping from my grasp."

Even in the dim light, he could see her eyes water. She blinked and looked away, sniffing. "You… you spoil me too much," she murmured. Her tone was always controlled and concealing, but for the first time in a long while Harescar heard the cover crack.

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**Awe. :D **

**Remember to check the poll on my profile, even if you don't read A New Destiny, please!**


	13. The End's Beginning

**So. Hey. How has the world of FanFiction been since I left?**

**Yeah, umm... heh. *scratches back of head awkwardly* What's up?**

**Guys, I am really sorry for my absence. I tried my best to pick up where I left off in this chapter, and added nearly an extra page to make up for all the weeks I was gone. I mean, this story could be close to done or done if I hadn't lost interest for a while D:**

**Oh well. Thank you for reading.**

* * *

In short, swollen tongues were not fun. Brownpaw had no appetite; this was either because the last food he had attempted to eat was cloaked in poison ivy, or because, well, it felt like he had food in his mouth all the time thanks to his enlarged tongue.

It had swollen up immensely a day or so after he had first been tainted by the ivy, and in the quarter-moon since, Brownpaw had no choice but to stay in the medicine den and grunt.

He still had not been allowed— or able to— reveal that Minnowcloud had obviously made this happen to him by throwing the thrush in the weeds. And as far as he could tell, Harescar had not bothered to either. A flare of anger returned in Brownpaw as his tongue once again flopped like a fat fish out of water. "Mi— no—" But then his heart skipped a beat. This was the farthest he had gotten! "Cl—"

"No, Brownpaw!" Marigoldkit chided, looking up from rubbing more aloe gel on his nearly-gone rashes. "You scared me, and I nearly dropped the aloe leaf and lost all the gel! You know how hard it is to get aloe leaves? They like a dry environment, and it's a miracle we had some at the time you got these rashes, because honey only works on throats, not skin."

Brownpaw nodded glumly, knowing that Ratpelt's reaction would have been identical to the budding medicine cat apprentice's. As would Skyclaw's and maybe even Frostpaw's.

When Brownpaw was officially eight moons old and it was the night of the Gathering, the dog was starting to settle down for a nap before hearing the announcements later. Harescar had chosen who he wanted to attend the Gathering, and planned to use the excuse of "Brokenstar's sick" for why she wasn't there. For now, apparently, the ginger coward couldn't stand to tell anyone the truth.

"I really wish you could go to the Gathering," Frostpaw chirped to Brownpaw one last time. The white cat was sitting at the dog's bedside until he had to leave to the Gathering Island. "You would love it. We have to cross that tree-branch, which apparently killed some WindClan wacko named Mudclaw seasons ago, then there's this island with many trees, but the biggest one of all is for the leaders. The other Clans are so weird, too, like, ShadowClan is shadowy, of course, WindClan is windblown and skittish, but if you insult their strength, watch out! And RiverClan…"

Brownpaw had heard all this before, and he zoned out, making sure to nod and smile every once in a while. It was a few days after he nearly got out Minnowcloud's name, and his tongue had contracted enough for it not to be sticking out of his mouth anymore.

The white blob in the side of his vision that was Frostpaw got up and left with one final cheer, and Brownpaw became aware of his body, greased up with aloe, and his fur, slicked back by the… well, the stupid gel. He was so sick of it all, it had been far past the quarter-moon Ratpelt had estimated for it to clear up.

He thought the Gathering cats had left, but it turned out they hadn't when Harescar yanked Minnowcloud over to a spot awfully close to Brownpaw's pricked ears.

"What do you want, Minnowcloud?" Harescar hissed to the smirking gray tabby.

"Chill, Harescar. I know how much you want me to be your scratching tree, but you have no excuse to sharpen those claws on me this time. I was just wondering if perhaps your best _friend _is too busy with his new kits to take his temporary-deputy duties seriously."

Brownpaw startled. Birdspring had kitted! No one had bothered to tell him the kits' names or genders or fur colors or _anything_.

"Are you going to ask the same thing when Brokenstar kits?" growled Harescar. "'Oh, she _must _be far too occupied to discharge her duties properly. May I take over as leader of ThunderClan, Harescar, please?'"

His representation of Minnowcloud was fairly accurate, and Brownpaw snickered very quietly. Minnowcloud, to the puppy's surprise, laughed as well. "Very well, I see how unserious you take me to be. Like an apprentice giggling over her crushes. I just thought that perhaps you might want to reconsider how this Clan is being run."

There was a snarl and a _thump_. Slightly, Brownpaw shifted himself so he could see the two. Harescar had pressed Minnowcloud into the still-trembling bushes, paw on the tabby's heaving chest. "Then go back to RiverClan and see how Honeystar and Freewhisper are doing. I bet they'd _love _a controlling—"

"Hold it in, Harry. I know you want nothing more than to see my guts strewn across the clearing, but if your Clanmates and expectant mate see this side of you, you'd be better off exiled." Minnowcloud threw off the other warrior and proceeded to leave the deserted clearing. Harescar shook himself, grunted something, and then stormed after the other tom through the thorn barrier.

Brownpaw was enveloped in a world of horror after hearing this. Harescar was a complete and utter _monster _when it came to dealing with Minnowcloud! No matter how despicable and nasty the gray warrior was, it was still awful to imagine him facing a disturbing death.

**OoOoO**

A short while later, Brownpaw roused from demented dreams to find Ratpelt sitting with his back to the apprentice, a stack of herbs at his paws and bedraggled muzzle tilted toward the blazing full moon. The russet-furred cat was just outside the entrance of his den, like he was waiting for something.

Brownpaw made a noise in his throat, and the medicine cat jumped, whirling around with unevenly raised hackles. "Oh! Right. Brownpaw, I'm sorry," he murmured, chortling at himself. "What's the matter?"

Helplessly, the dog made a gesture toward Ratpelt.

"Oh!" Ratpelt repeated. "The matter with me? Oh, it's just…" He sighed. "This is the night I predicted Brokenstar's kits to arrive, and I have a feeling that if it's not tonight, bad things will happen." He half-grinned at the dog. "Just life as usual in ThunderClan, am I right? I suppose being related to Firestar has its downsides."

Brownpaw sat up a little in his nest and produced something that sounded like "Firestar?"

"Hey, no talking for you. But yes, Brokenstar is a descendant of Firestar, didn't you know? Her mother, Willowberry, is the daughter of Lionblaze. Lionblaze was the son of Leafpool, and Leafpool was Firestar's daughter!"

_So these kits will be the great-great-great-grandchildren of Firestar…_

A horrible wail shattered Brownpaw's wonder, and Ratpelt straightened and smiled. "There we go! Thank StarClan." He gathered up his herbs and looked back one last time as Brownpaw grunted, "Goo' luc'."

"Good luck to all of us tonight, Brownpaw, good chap," Ratpelt whispered as he crept out of the den and over to the leader's den. "Good luck to all of us…"

**OoOoO**

At the Gathering, things were rough. Harescar led ThunderClan in with a raised chin and tail despite his overpowering nerves.

ThunderClan was the last group to arrive, and they felt unbelievably conspicuous with the eyes of every warrior trained on them.

"Is Brokenstar quite well?" Secretstar of WindClan asked, leaning forward a little from her place on a low branch of the tree.

"No, she's… sick," Harescar replied, suppressing a wince at the hesitation in his voice. He crouched, waggled his hindquarters, and then leaped onto the tree. He left deep gouge marks in the bark as he made his way to a limb a couple fox-lengths above Secretstar.

"Tell her she has RiverClan's condolences, and that we hope she gets well soon," Honeystar said, concern crinkling his furry golden face.

Harescar bowed his head. "Thank you, thank you. Your kindness is greatly appreciated." He lifted his gaze again, barely sweeping it over the meaningfully-silent ShadowClan cats.

There were a few moments of silence, and some apprentices could be heard scuffling, until they were broken up by their mentors. Then Coldstar's aloof voice sounded out of nowhere, skating on the early leaf-fall air.

"How about ThunderClan goes first for once? In honor of _Brokenstar_."

No one argued. Harescar shifted uncomfortably on the branch, cleared his throat, and mumbled, "V- very well then. Well, we recently welcomed two new additions to ThunderClan: a she-kit and a tom, Rustlekit and Hollowkit, born to Birdspring and Beechflight." He couldn't help but puff out his chest for his best friend, who stood up from his place on the deputies' rock, the complete opposite of sheepish.

He sat back, pretty sure that was all there was to say. He wondered what Brokenstar had said at the last Gathering concerning Fogblossom and Wishkit. The ginger tom zoned out, traveling far away from Honeystar bragging pleasantly about the fish still being around in freezing waters.

**OoOoO**

Back in the ThunderClan camp, everyone was trying to shield their ears from the awful caterwauling coming from the leader's den. Shorthaze and Willowberry were sitting at the base of the Highledge with Birchfur, all of their tails flicking— or lashing, depending on their anxiety level— in rhythm with Brokenstar's screams.

"That's it," Shorthaze snapped, rising to his not-so-tall height. "This is the second time that rat has failed our family. I'm going up there and helping my daughter deliver far better than Ratpelt ever could."

"No!"

The tabby turned, startled to see that it was not his silently sobbing mate confronting him but Flashnight. "What's it to you?" he demanded of the black warrior.

"We need to restore order around here, not incite more chaos than there already is," Flashnight explained swiftly but patiently. He swiveled around and called, "Dewpaw! Breezepaw! Come here immediately."

The lanky she-cats, both darn near warrior-age and individually taller than Shorthaze, raced over to their father.

"I need you both to travel to the Gathering Island and tell Harescar that his kits are being born. I can't stand the thought of him being so far away from his blossoming family," Flashnight ordered.

Dewpaw and Breezepaw dipped their heads in unison and hared out of the thorn tunnel, their tails streaming out behind them.

"That was so pointless," criticized Shorthaze. "The Gathering cats are probably on their way home now. Why send out— oh. They're your daughters, and they're too old for their positions, so—"

"Yes, Dewpaw and Breezepaw may be my daughters," Flashnight growled, turning on the arrogant tabby, "but they are in need of warrior names. I feel this may be a suitable final assessment for them. The only thing left for us to do is to wait and see whether or not they succeed."

**OoOoO**

This must surely be one of the longest recorded Gatherings in the history of the Clans. Harescar groaned as Coldstar wrapped up his interminable speech on the importance of having enemies. Just before the ThunderClan representative could climb down from the tree, however, he noticed two pairs of green eyes glowing in the darkness enveloping what must be the tree-bridge. The ginger warrior's heart fluttered against his stomach and tickled it, making him feel as if he might throw up.

He scrambled down from the tree, preparing to defend his Clan. He also defended himself from the barrage of questions from Frostpaw or the complains from Skunkflight about "just wanting to sleep already".

The owners of the four green eyes burst out of the undergrowth lining the Gathering island, and Harescar recognized Dewpaw and Breezepaw.

"What in the name of the Dark Forest…" Harescar muttered, stepping forward and skimming his nose against the grown she-cats' in greeting.

"Harescar," Dewpaw breathed. She opened her mouth to speak, but her sister beat her to it:

"Harescar, Brokenstar is kitting!" Breezepaw yodeled for the stars to hear. Beaming triumphantly, the black she-cat arched a brow at her littermate.

In the next several heartbeats, Harescar heard his name, repeated over and over, by countless different cats, out of surprise, out of anger, out of joy…

But then he stopped hearing their reactions. He even stopped hearing his own breath. He pushed between Dewpaw and Breezepaw, and even though one of them fell to the ground thanks to him, he found that he couldn't care less.

**OoOoO**

He arrived back at camp far ahead of the rest of his Clanmates. Brownpaw saw him first, and the puppy scrambled forward to help the winded tom up to rocky cliff face to Brokenstar's den.

Harescar and Brownpaw stepped into the den. Ratpelt was the only thing blocking them from their view of Brokenstar. Brownpaw could see one brown limb splayed out, and long brown fur spilling out of her nest. The screams had quieted.

The medicine cat turned around and smiled. "Well, Harescar," he began grimly, his grin faltering.

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**Hope you liked. I will have to get more into it and remember exactly what was going on before this becomes my best work.**


	14. The Flying Bat

**This is one of the sweetest chapters ever, though also a bit troubling. Good luck reading it!**

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Ratpelt moved to the side without another word. Forcing back any misgivings he might've had, Harescar stepped forward and peered into the nest.

Suckling— alive, breathing, mewling, squirming— was a dark brown kit. Harescar felt joy swell in his chest as he touched his nose to the wet little body; it was a tom. The deputy straightened, thinking to himself, _I have a son. A son I will fight until my last breath to protect. A son I will watch grow up, a son I will watch succeed and thrive…_

Brokenstar was barely stirring, and at the very least, she was alive too. In the past few moments, so much pent-up worry and adrenaline had completely flowed out of his body, like a painless wound shedding blood. Harescar collapsed in relief beside his tiny family.

He was still aware of Brownpaw's presence, and made himself look away from his son for a moment just so he could whisper to the dog, "Come. I- it's a tom."

It seemed like all of the wrinkles of Harescar and Brownpaw's pelt of friendship had been smoothed over. Harescar felt a surge of affection for the apprentice as, dark brown eyes huge, the puppy crept over to the nest with his head lowered. "Just one?" he whispered, voice a low whine, respectful to the exhausted mother.

"No," a raspy voice said, and at first Harescar didn't even recognize the crackly, fragile-as-a-fallen-leaf tone. But then the ginger tom realized it was Ratpelt, and he swung his head around to stare at the medicine cat incredulously.

"_No_?" _There are more kits? Why aren't they suckling… oh, StarClan. _Harescar rose to his full height, legs trembling. He knew what this meant; these kits didn't need to suckle. They didn't need their mother's milk because—

"Harescar, may I speak with you a moment? Privately," Ratpelt added, though he didn't have to: Brownpaw remained firmly focused on the brown tom-kit.

Harescar truly believed that boulders were tied to his paws as he dragged himself over to the corner of the den, where extra moss was bunched together. Next to the spare bedding were haphazardly-stacked leaves and herbs.

"You and Brokenstar are also the parents of a tiny, itty-bitty little she-kit," Ratpelt began slowly. "And this she-kit, she is alive, but not completely 'well'. Allow me to let you see her before I explain." For the second time, the medicine cat shuffled aside so that Harescar could view the contents of the comfy nest.

Harescar, this time much more nervously, leaned over so that he could see the petite body nestled in the moss. And a petite thing she was indeed… just under Harescar's gaping muzzle was a pale ginger she-kit, looking akin to her father in every way. She was draped over the moss, almost dead-looking, though Harescar was pleased to see her tail or an ear twitching every so often. Not wanting to disturb her, the tom stepped back before speaking. "Doesn't she need milk? Why is she isolated from her… her brother like this?"

"There is something unusual about her," Ratpelt replied cautiously, obviously not wanting to anger the new father. "And I am not sure if it is contagious or not."

"Contagious?" Harescar gulped. "You mean, she's sick with something you've never seen before?"

Ratpelt dipped his head. "You would be correct. You see, your daughter was born not breathing." Harescar's breath caught in his throat. "I was horrified," Ratpelt continued. "In all my moons of being a medicine cat, I've never helped deliver a stillborn. I decided to try everything in my power to bring her back to life, since her brother was already born and she was the last kit. I moved her over here"— he gestured to her mossy nest— "and slapped her, hard. Only once did my mentor, Briarlight, deal with a stillborn. The method she had been taught for these cases is to, literally, slap the kit if it isn't breathing. What this does is stimulate their respiratory functions, because there might be phlegm blocking their breathing passageways. When Briarlight tried it, it did not work, but, well, for me, it did!" Ratpelt's smile swiftly dropped back into a perplexed grimace. "But there is still something about this little she-kit. She began breathing, but didn't mewl or fuss like a newborn commonly does. Instead, there was another sound, like a really magnified heartbeat. When I moved my ear closer to her, I found the sound was coming from her chest. She has an irregular heartbeat, a really loud heartbeat, a heart… murmur."

All Harescar could say to this was, "W- why isn't she feeding?"

"I tried placing her at her mother's belly, but she would not suckle, even when I guided her. Clearly and sadly, she'll die soon if she doesn't receive some kind of nourishment."

Harescar heaved a long, pained sigh before muttering, "Thank you so much for all of your hard work, Ratpelt. It is so much appreciated." He paused, not really wanting an answer to his following question. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Brokenstar is perfectly healthy, and that's something she especially deserves after all this struggling with illness the past few moons. However, she is extremely weak at the moment, like all she-cats who recently kitted are." Ratpelt lowered his voice significantly. "This also means that she is at a high risk for losing another life. If she gets cut somehow and bleeds even a little, the blood loss will take another life from her. Everyone visiting must be very careful while she is so fragile."

Harescar nodded curtly, and listen to Ratpelt's firm instructions to give Brokenstar borage to help her milk come, and Harescar himself even swallowed a small thyme leaf to help guide him back to sanity after all this shocking news.

The medicine cat and Brownpaw padded out, equipped with Harescar's orders to the Clan to not come up to the den yet; the new family needed some time alone first.

The ginger tom heard an obnoxious groan of frustration from Shorthaze, and Harescar half-smiled as he gently, oh-so-gently, closed his jaws around his daughter's scruff and brought her over to the main nest. He also dragged over some moss to Brokenstar, who's eyes were now open, could prop herself up to admire the miniature beauties.

"I can't believe I was ever unsure about this," Brokenstar rasped finally. She blinked at him, then right away went back to gazing at the kits. "And look; he got my fur, and she got your fur." Her lightning-strike eyes twinkled. "We can only wonder what their eyes will be like."

"We must name them," Harescar mewed. "The Clan will be up here in droves the first moment they're allowed. They need to be properly introduced." He laid his eyes on the ginger she-kit, who was curled into a ball of fluff. "Come now, little one," he whispered. "You must hungry."

Brokenstar's beautiful gaze widened in alarm, and she could only watch as her mate nosed the she-kit up next to her brother, who was all fattened up and resting, dried milk crusted around his tiny mouth. The she-kit hesitated, but then heartbeats later there was a slurping sound that enveloped the sound of her heartbeat. Both parents purred in relief, and Brokenstar agreed. "Yes, let's name them." She touched her tail to the dark-furred tom. "You know what he reminds me of?"

"What?"

"Obviously no one in the Clan now has ever been to those mountains, but we've all heard the stories. Eagles, hawks…"

"Hmm, I couldn't really picture him as an Eaglekit or a Hawkkit," Harescar mused.

"Now, now, let me finish. Sometimes, the cats would explore really deep into the caves, and they'd startle countless small, furry creatures. The creatures would fly out of the cave, in an enormous dark cloud, a mass of these flapping, not feathered but furred, _bats_." Brokenstar inclined her head toward their son. "Batkit."

Harescar greatly admired her creativity. "Batkit!" he gushed. "It's adorable, it's majestic, it's handsome… it's amazing. Definitely yes."

"Your turn. What will our daughter's name be? Gingerkit?" Brokenstar chuckled.

Harescar scoffed. "_No_! Not that. Well, I must admit this is a very rare name, though it has been used before, it is kind of strange."

Brokenstar gestured to herself. "I'm queen of strange names, I think I can handle it. Shoot."

He tilted his head, studying the beautiful ginger kit. "She really is miniscule compared to her brother. And it would be perfect if their names match. What is one thing bats can do? Fly. Sooo…" A giddy smile spread over his face like a heron spreading its wings. "Batkit and Flykit."

"Flykit," Brokenstar said slowly, mulling over the name. "Flykit… Flykit. You know what? I hate it."

His shoulders drooped. Maybe it was just her exhaustion talking…

"Just kidding," Brokenstar laughed wheezily. "You should see the look on your face. No, really, though. I love it. Batkit and Flykit." She laid her head down for a moment, and inhaled unhurriedly. "Let the games begin. Go ahead and announce to the Clan."

Harescar was trembling with joy and a bit of fear. How could he ever just explain to a group of curious, rowdy, and impatient cats of all ages about the best things that had ever happened to him? He couldn't surely just say, "My kits were just born, folks. Come on up 'ere and check 'em out. And, hey— no pushing, please. Single file line, orderly fashion. And when you get up here, there'll be no touching, looking only, no matter how soft and fuzzy they look."

Harescar snorted at the very thought, and emerged into the fading moonlight. He trotted out to the edge of the Highledge and ogled the clearing below.

The contrasting fur colors of ThunderClan were all mingling below. There was constantly movement of some kind, whether it be furiously-flicking tails or furiously-talking mouths. "ThunderClan!" he boomed, puffing out his chest as far as it would go without him popping.

As one, every head sharply swiveled upward to face him. Even though Harescar's nerves were buzzing, for once it was not because he was dizzy from the height or from having every pair of ThunderClan eyes on him. He really only wanted to return to Brokenstar, Batkit, and Flykit.

"Brokenstar has delivered. She and our two kits"— first colossal gasp— "are perfectly fine, just very sleepy." Harescar decided to milk it; again, for once, he was enjoying the attention. "Now, who wants to hear what our son and daughter look like, and their names?"

An enthusiastic roar exploded from the crowd and rung in the deputy's ears.

"I'll take that as a yes!" Harescar yowled, beaming with happiness. "Alright, their names are Batkit and Flykit"— second colossal gasp— "and Batkit is a dark brown tom"— third colossal gasp— "and Flykit is a pale ginger she-kit." Fourth colossal gasp. Harescar squinted down into the crowd, then yelled, "Family first! Shorthaze, Willowberry, and Birchfur, if you'd like to see the kits, then come up now." He turned and ran back into the cave, never wanting to leave it again.

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**Let me know what you think of the names!**


	15. The Bloody Stone

**Welcome to another episode of the famous game show, "What Will He Do Next?" And the answer to the question, also known as today's episode's topic, is "Teach that sniveling tom a lesson."**

**Reader: ok what stuff is Mossy on**

**Reader: ...**

**Reader: cause i want some**

**Reader: ...**

**Reader: like now**

**Mossy: no**

**Hah anyways enjoy...**

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As soon as all of the warmth and love of the arrival of Harescar's kits had decreased somewhat, Brownpaw and the ginger deputy were right back to where they were before. Hating each other.

A quarter-moon after Batkit and Flykit were born, Harescar stepped out onto the Highledge without warning and yowled to the sky, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" As he spoke, startled birds burst out of the trees in the forest beyond, and for a moment any sound in the hollow was drowned out by the flapping of wings.

Once the noise stopped, Brownpaw found himself still standing at the edge of the crowd, awkwardly shifting his weight from paw to paw. _He said "all _cats_". So does that mean I'm not invited, or…? _Even though Brownpaw knew that he'd insisted the others refer to him as a cat, he still felt that, when the general term "cats" was used, he was not necessarily included.

There was a sigh, and Harescar meowed loud and clear, "That means you too, Brownpaw. Come now, it's not your ceremony, I shouldn't be saying your name."

Anger burning beneath his pelt, the puppy stalked over and shouldered his way through the throng of felines until he was able to squeeze in between Skyclaw and Frostpaw. Brownpaw was comforted to see that his adoptive brother looked disgusted too. "Since when did having kits make someone so arrogant?" Frostpaw grumbled.

In return, Brownpaw growled under his breath so that Skyclaw couldn't hear, "Well, there is—"

"Minnowcloud. Yeah. Though I imagine he was still arrogant before Streampaw and I were born." Frostpaw snorted before returning his attentive blue eyes to the Highledge.

"I should be saying Dewpaw and Breezepaw's names!" Harescar said, beaming as he beckoned the she-cats forward with a flick of his tail. "And, of course, since Brokenstar is still bedridden with the kits, I must perform the ceremony." Keeping his tail waving to and fro, Harescar began to edge toward the ground as he spoke.

"I, Harescar, deputy of ThunderClan, and with the consent of Brokenstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon StarClan to look down on these apprentices. They have worked hard to learn the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." The orange cat paused halfway down the tumble of rocks, balancing precariously on the tip of a thin boulder. He was staring directly at Dewpaw, who shuffled a whisker-length ahead of her sister. "Dewpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Brownpaw's gaze flicked toward the dark gray she-cat, who was the spitting image of her mother Lightningdrop. The dog was proud to see how much Dewpaw and Breezepaw had grown and matured since he arrived in ThunderClan, and he was happy that they were finally advancing in rank.

"I do," Dewpaw mewed, Harescar's confidence reflecting in her grass-green eyes.

"Then it is so. From this moment on, you shall be known as Dewfern. StarClan honors your cleverness and bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." In a few swift leaps, Harescar made it the rest of the way to the ground, where he rested his muzzle on Dewfern's head, and she licked his shoulder.

Dewfern stepped back, now silenced for the remainder of the night, and Harescar finished the ceremony with Breezepaw's half. "Breezepaw, do _you _promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Breezepaw dipped her head slowly. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. From this moment on, your name is Breezeheart. StarClan honors your courage and kindness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." He copied his action with Dewfern, resting his muzzle on Breezeheart's head while she licked his shoulder.

Brownpaw lifted his muzzle to the sky in a howl that was hushed in respect of the cats' sensitive ears. "Dewfern! Breezeheart!"

As the cheers died down, Flashnight and Lightningdrop bounded over to their oldest daughters, with Creampaw and Hazelpaw in tow.

"Good, solid names," Flashnight meowed, his words nearly drowned by he and his mate's rhythmic purring. "Beautiful names. Thank you, Harescar," the black tom went on, smiling broadly at the ginger tom, who was lingering at the base of the Highledge. _Already wants to get away from his Clan to hide in the shelter of that cursed cave, _Brownpaw thought scornfully, though he knew that the anger was pretty far-fetched. _His mate and kits _are _in there._

Harescar padded over to Flashnight and lowered his head politely to the sleek warrior. "It was long overdue. I'm glad you like the names; Brokenstar and I spent plenty of time discussing them— or really, arguing about them."

They all shared a laugh, but Brownpaw turned and trotted away with Frostpaw, fully aware that it wasn't his conversation. Now that the robust joy of Dewfern and Breezeheart's ceremony had simmered down, Brownpaw's fury with Harescar resumed prickling in his skin.

"Hey, I have a crazy idea." Frostpaw's cheered mew battled Brownpaw's irritation, the dog turned on the white tom, unsure what to think anymore. "Now that your rashes have finally gotten better, we can play a good old-fashioned game of Stonesmack!"

Brownpaw rolled his eyes. "You're probably going to name your firstborn son Stonesmack, aren't you?" He kept sending messages to his brain to flatten his bristling fur, but the messages weren't received. Soon he was antsy, once again moving his weight from paw to paw.

Frostpaw shrugged. "There's a possibility I'll name him Stonekit, but that's beyond the point." He drew himself up higher, but his ear tips still barely grazed Brownpaw's muzzle. "So do you wanna play or not?"

Brownpaw pawed the ground with a low whine, and pushed aside some leaf litter. "I dunno, we might never find a stone in all this leaf mess. We might have to rename the game Leafsmack. How does the name Leafkit sound to you?"

"It's fine." Frostpaw sighed. "You stinker. Come on, there's something I should show you."

Brownpaw furrowed his brow, a sting of worry smoothing over the rough anger. _He's been hiding something? _Frostpaw launched himself across the clearing toward the apprentices' den, and Brownpaw adopted a quick pace in following him.

Before long, the puppy fell behind his brother despite the fact that his legs were nearly twice the length of Frostpaw's. He swept his warm brown eyes around the camp, appalled by how much had changed since early newleaf, when he arrived.

The brand-new green leaves from six moons ago were now crispy and as russet-orange as Ratpelt's fur. It seemed that any wind hitting the trees, even a puff of breath from a kit, would cause paw-fuls of leaves to rain down on the camp. And, among the stagnant piles of leaves— numerous grubby critters. Brownpaw stuck out his tongue as he flicked a tick off his leg. _At least there's only one elder at the moment for the ticks to feed on. Maybe Streampaw could take care of Blackstorm's ragged pelt this season. _Brownpaw swallowed back an additional laugh and pounded forward, slipping into the apprentices' den after Frostpaw.

The white tom was rummaging through his own bedding, and Brownpaw arched his brow before clearing his throat to announce his presence.

"Oh, there you are," Frostpaw sighed, burying his muzzle for a moment in the moss so that his next words were muffled. "I guess you made a few _stops _along the way?"

"Nah, I just took my time and savored the beautiful day," Brownpaw replied with fake tartness. He walked over to his nest and collapsed into it with a sigh. "At least I can finally use the chilly weather as an excuse to have a roof over my head." During the warm seasons, Brownpaw had agreed to sleep outside the den so there'd be more room inside for the cats (after all, the dog took up nearly half of the sleep-space). _And there's room to breathe now, with Dewfern and Breezeheart out. _

Frostpaw batted at Brownpaw's floppy ear with a paw that had faded into brown from white after clumping through the dusty leaves. "Hey, it's not naptime. We're still playing Stonesmack. I just have to… find… the— aha! Here it is!" From the deepest depths of his nest the pale-furred apprentice tugged out a weathered stone the color of wispy smoke.

As Brownpaw sat up in his bedding, he squinted at the stone, then drew back, his nose trembling with the effort of trying not to smell— "Is that _blood _on there?"

"Yup," Frostpaw chirped as if blood was merely water. "It's my own blood. This is the stone we were playing with when you accidentally hit me in the face."

Brownpaw shuddered and tucked his tail under his rump at the memory. "Why in StarClan's name would you keep _that_? And in your nest, of all places?"

The white cat's shoulders fluttered up then down in an undisturbed shrug. "C'mon, let's just play already, you great big dormouse!"

**OoOoO**

"I'm so proud of you, Sparklepaw," Sandpebble said with a beam as he gave the plump mouse hanging from his apprentice's jaws another prideful nudge.

Sparklepaw jumped happily, and Brownpaw rasped his tongue over his nose as he watched the sweet exchange. Ever since Birchfur's daughter had been apprenticed half a moon ago, she'd shown extraordinary hunting skills. This was already her third mouse in the last quarter-moon.

"A fat mouse is a rare find, being this close to leaf-bare already," Harescar added, his tail curled high over his back. As far as Brownpaw knew, Brokenstar hadn't gotten up from her nest once since she gave birth roughly two moons ago, and Harescar was now officially Brownpaw's mentor for the remainder of the dog's apprenticeship (which was ending in two moons).

A frosty breeze sliced through the forest, biting at Brownpaw's skin through his thin coat, and he shivered, adding a bit of speed to his step so that they would get back to camp faster.

"Woah, woah, slow down, jackrabbit," Harescar meowed, and Brownpaw's muscles stiffened as the ginger tom's tail-tip touched his shoulder; his tensed muscles made him come to a jarring halt.

Sandpebble and Sparklepaw paused, blinking at the other two quizzically.

"We'll catch up," Harescar said, and he proceeded to steer the dog back the way they'd come. They were clearing an uneven path through the undergrowth, and they were heading straight for the pebbly shore of the lake.

"If we go much farther, we'll be out in the open," Brownpaw reminded him, and Harescar, thank StarClan, stopped and looked the puppy in the eye. "Yes, Harescar? What did I do this time?" Brownpaw's bored question seemed to ignite a flare of anger in the deputy's eyes, and for a moment the orange cat closed them so that Brownpaw couldn't see what was sure to be malice.

"Alright, no skirting around the subject," meowed Harescar as he reopened his optics. "I'm tired of this rift between us. It's almost worse than the friction between ThunderClan and ShadowClan. Remember, we've helped each other in the past—"

"Your patrol rescued me when I was a pup on the brink of death," Brownpaw recited flawlessly, having heard this many times before. _It's engraved in my brain at this point. _"And I—"

This time Harescar interrupted, lashing his never-frozen tail. "I'm also sick of the attitude, the entire glum, woe-is-me act. I've made the best of my life, and dealt with all I've been given. My mate is too weak to stand, but I still make sure to tell her something that'll make her laugh every day. My son is a stubborn little thing, refuses to give up milk even though he should've been weaned days ago. But I still make sure to bring a mouse up to him every day just in case he decides to try a bit of it. My daughter is unwell, but I still…" Abruptly, he trailed off, apparently realizing what he'd just revealed.

"Flykit is _unwell_?" Brownpaw demanded. "She's _unwell_? I think you kinda forget to tell the Clan that."

"I didn't tell the Clan on purpose," Harescar hissed, his ears flattening so that they were smooth against his head. "It's my family's private business, and the only cat who is not a relative who knows is Ratpelt. And there's no way in the Dark Forest I'm going to give up on her." With each new word, Harescar's voice grew more hoarse, until he could no longer speak, and just sank to the ground in defeat.

A thorn of pity as well as irritation drove itself into Brownpaw's heart. Pity for Harescar, and irritation at himself. The mottled dog leaped forward and helped the ThunderClan deputy up. "Harescar," he whined. "I'm… I am so sorry. This is all my fault; I held a grudge just because you were right about Minnowcloud. Still right, and always right. That cat is an awful gray menace." His teeth grinded as the half-RiverClan cat's sneering face assembled in his mind, whisker by whisker, tooth by tooth.

Harescar straightened. "It's him." He stood on his tiptoes so that he could rest his muzzle on Brownpaw's lowered head. "It's Minnowcloud's fault. I don't know how he still is allowed to slink around this Clan like a smirking shadow, after he's tried poisoning his own son, and then placing you in discomfort for close to a moon. He's also broken his mate's heart by isolating himself and his favored son from her. It's about time someone teaches that sniveling tom a lesson, before someone else gets hurt."

Another breeze whispered past them, carrying with it the scent of bitter frost. Brownpaw gulped and broke away from the ginger tom so that they could lock gazes again. Then the dog knew. _I know who's next. _

"Because you're next," Brownpaw murmured.

His terrified breath was met with a single nod. And for the first time in ages, there was not a drop of fear in Harescar's eyes.

* * *

**From now on, I'm going to (try to) do a random fun fact at the end of each chapter.**

**Random Fun Fact: Flykit's original name was Fallenkit (and her warrior name would be Fallentear), but I changed it because cats can't cry, so they don't know what tears are, and besides, Fallenkit is a sad name to give a kit. Her brother's name was always Batkit, but I changed his warrior name (originally Batsoar).**


	16. The Stolen Kit

**This is a kind of choppy chapter, and not my best writing because it's late. Thrilling, but kind of confusing.**

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Harescar dearly missed the sound of crickets chirping at night. But that was in greenleaf. Now, the only sound that greeted in his ears when the sky was black was wind whistling. Leaf-bare was well on its way, that was for sure.

Unable to doze off, he popped open one eyelid to check on Brokenstar and the kits. His mate was sleeping with her limbs curled tightly under her, while her plumy tail was settled over Batkit and Flykit. Unfortunately, they both had inherited their father's short, coarse fur, so they had to rely on the brown she-cat's thick pelt for warmth during the cold season.

A purr began to gather at the base of his throat at the sight of his closely-knit family, but he forced it down, not wanting to wake them. Gingerly, he slid his flank out from under Brokenstar's head, which he set gently on the moss. Then the ginger cat tiptoed out of the cave.

Thoughts of how to deal with Minnowcloud had been priority lately. In fact, he had been so unfocused during Sparklepaw's apprentice ceremony, he accidentally gave her Sandpebble as a mentor, even though he had been waiting to give Furrykit to the young tom. _Oh, well. My only punishment for that is seeing Leopardtooth's scowling, jealous face everywhere I go. _

At least the spotted cat wasn't on guard duty tonight; Skunkflight had that job. Harescar rested his gaze on the well-muscled black-and-white warrior for a moment, but then continued picking his way down the Highledge. _A brief walk will do my stiff joints good. StarClan, I feel like an elder. _

Now that he was away from Brokenstar's heat-generating fur, he not only heard but felt that whistling wind. It whistled through his pelt and stung his skin like numerous ice-infused bees.

He slipped past Skunkflight, mumbling "good evening" to the thick warrior before emerging into the forest. _Strange. He was trembling like there was a bear in his face. _

But then Harescar understood why Skunkflight had been shivering; leaf-bare's freezing claws already held ThunderClan territory in its grasp. High above Harescar's head, frost glittered on the tree branches. The dew was still liquid down where the orange tomcat was walking, but he knew if the woods were dripping wet then, it would be a frozen wonderland come morning.

He passed the spot where he had talked with Brownpaw a few days ago, and felt his thawing ice surrounding his muscles immediately refreeze. Harescar stood rigid, gritting his teeth as countless ideas and plans and worries surged in a tornado through his mind.

_I need to loosen up. _Before he quite registered what he was doing, his WindClan side resurfaced and he began to sprint out toward the lake. _I could have a WindClan side, since StarClan knows who my father was. _

_Minnowcloud. _He groaned, doubling over as the lake's lukewarm indigo water sloshed over his front paws. He embedded his claws in the sand, and sat down hard, mumbling thoughts that had been fighting to be told for a long time.

The ThunderClan deputy sat for a long while, gazing out over the waters. All was dead silent, and there was no activity on the moor or in the pine forest. Harescar stole a few deep breaths of the biting air, and then stood to go.

But just as trees appeared over his ears again, there was a distant rustling coming from the way he'd come. Harescar whirled around, his eyes wild as they groped through the darkness. No one showed themselves, so he just sighed and continued back to camp.

Soon enough, the thorn entrance was within view. But Skunkflight wasn't there. A prick of annoyance registered in Harescar's tired brain, and he bounded forward, looking to and fro for the black-and-white warrior.

"Skunkflight?" he hissed. No answer. _No surprise there. The mouse-brained fool probably went to make dirt._

Exhaustion washed over him suddenly, in a vicious wave that pushed down his eyelids. Swaying, Harescar began his ascent toward the Highledge. He stumbled into Brokenstar's den, collapsed in his now-cold nest, and pried his eyes open for one last look at his mate and offspring.

_What? It can't be. _Concern took hold of him, and some adrenaline rushed into his veins as he gently lifted Brokenstar's tail. _No. _

Only Batkit was in the nest.

The moist, leafy scent of dew seemed to hang thick in the air. Harescar had always enjoyed the fresh smell, but now he just felt like a RiverClan drypaw being forced into a swimming lesson.

After one last sweeping glance over the den, Harescar got up and started for the exit again, fear for his daughter's safety making him skittish and jumpy.

"Harescar?"

He leaped so high up, his head very nearly bumped the ceiling. He turned tail, and locked gazes with Brokenstar.

"Oh, no," he murmured, his words as unsteady as a rocky path. "I woke you. Please." He drew in a rattling breath. "Please, go to sleep."

"What is going on?" Brokenstar demanded, her lightning-strike eyes narrowing into slits that glowed whitish, reflecting the moonlight.

"Y- your eyes… reflect the moonlight," he whispered, edging closer to the exit. He knew trying to distract her was hopeless, but at this point it was close to his only hope.

The long-furred she-cat grumbled and adjusted herself. A low moan of pain rumbled all the way from her throat right into his pricked ears. "Down!" he spat, not meaning to sound so fierce.

"Me, down?" she growled, shifting again and simply grinding her teeth in pain. "You're the frazzled one who needs to calm down. You look madder than a fox in a fit."

"That might be so, but I have a good reason to be madder than a fox in a fit!"

Her eyes glowed more strongly, and he swallowed loudly. _Control yourself—_

"Wait," she mewed. _Oh no. She's looking into the nest… _"Where is Flykit?" She hopped to her paws and howled.

"You are _staying _here while I go look for her," Harescar

"I'm not playing these old-fashioned games, Harescar," she meowed breathlessly. She began to place one paw in front of the other, and Harescar watched her with bated breath. "I'm not going to be the she-cat waiting back home in distress while the tom plays hero. No. I am… helping— helping… you."

"You are in severe pain," Harescar said. He wanted to bound forward and put her back in the nest, but he was afraid she would shatter into countless pieces if he so much as poked her.

"Right," she shot back, but her sarcasm was overtaken by a strained tone.

He kept his paws rooted to the spot. "You haven't walked in over two moons."

"Oh, you're right." Brokenstar paused after two more painstaking steps and stared directly at him. "How have the Gatherings been without me?"

"Fantastic," he snapped. "They've been fantastic. It was real _easy _for the other Clans to accept that you've had kits during your leadership, and that I fathered them."

She stood, tensed, blinking at him. Then she whispered, "I'm sorry that you're ashamed to have fathered my kits."

_Fox dung. _"You know that's not what I meant," he uttered carefully. "I'm being driven delirious because our daughter is _missing_, Brokenstar. Come on, please? You were ordered on bedrest by Ratpelt until your pain eases."

"I won't get any recovering done just lying about. It's no good for me to have my food brought to me, no good to have others entertain me, no good to have others do work I should be doing. I'm not a fat, pampered kittypet; I'm a—"

"We also have a son," Harescar interrupted. She was about halfway to him now. "A son who you need to keep warm."

Her optics glowed like twin StarClan warriors. "Batkit is healthy. Flykit is not, you can hear her heartbeat from across the lake in RiverClan territory. And, StarClan, he is two moons old, he can fend for himself for a few moments."

"I doubt we'll find Flykit at the flick of a tail," Harescar replied. "I'm not going to stand here and negotiate with you anymore. You'll soon realize that you will not be able to make it down the Highledge, anyway." With that, he whisked himself out of the den and down toward the ground.

Brokenstar called weakly after him, "You can't make others do what you want them to!"

_Oh, yes I can. _Paws burning, he burst into the apprentices' den and hissed into Brownpaw's ear, "Get up, grab Flashnight and Firetail, and meet me at the thorn tunnel."

Heartbeats later, Brownpaw, Flashnight, and Firetail were standing before him, all panting and wide-eyed.

"This is it," the deputy meowed to Brownpaw. The dog gasped and stood with his spine straight, at attention.

"What is going on, Harescar?" asked Firetail.

"Flykit is missing," Harescar replied. "And I know just who took her. It's finally me who he's targeted. And he hit me where it hurts most."

He twisted and dove into the thorn tunnel, emerging into the frost-enveloped forest. He sprinted toward the shore, Brownpaw hot in pursuit and Flashnight and Firetail exchanging intrigued glances before following them.

Wind roared in Harescar's ears as he whipped past tree after tree, dodging low branch after low branch, leaping over holly bush after holly bush. The deputy almost felt like he was in a race with the wind. _I must win. _

He exploded onto the lakeshore, sand spraying everywhere as he, Brownpaw, and the two warriors came to an abrupt stop. _No. I'm not racing the wind. I'm racing time, before it's too late. Before he wins. And the only time he will ever be victorious is over my dead body. _

He threw himself forward and draped himself over the figure crouched at the water's edge, placing his paws on either broad shoulder and shaking them fiercely. Harescar thrust his muzzle close to the cat's neck, fangs bared, prepared to taste the oily fur Minnowcloud got from his filthy RiverClan father.

But the fur wasn't oily; it was the typical dryness and thickness of ThunderClan. Skunkflight's stink was there, but buried under layers of dew. _Dew. Dew is what I smelled in the den. _

"You took my daughter!" he screeched, shoving Skunkflight down and pressing his face against the sand. The large warrior sputtered, thrashing desperately under Harescar's paw. The deputy was losing his grip, but luckily Flashnight and Firetail rushed forward wordlessly and helped hold him down.

"No- no, I didn't— you must hear me out!"

Harescar nodded to Flashnight, and swiftly the black tom lifted his paw from the bigger warrior's mouth.

"I left him here. I couldn't go on. He- it was… too far." Skunkflight's green eyes were huge and scathing. Harescar winced and looked away.

"Then where is he? Does he have her?"

Skunkflight groaned and nodded weakly. His beaver-like tail lashed toward the lake, and frigid water splashed onto Harescar's muzzle. _Like his blood soon will be. _"He swam out into the lake with her… he's a decent swimmer, of course, because of his roots."

Harescar lifted his gaze to scan over the great expanse of black water. "This will be the death of you, Minnowcloud."

* * *

**Fun Fact: Streampaw's original warrior name was Streammist, but I have since changed it to something else.**


	17. The Moonhigh Stalk

**Hey guys. How has your summer been so far? (Sorry if you're not out of jail yet!)**

**I hope you like this chapter. I thought it was kinda dull, so I tried my best to inject some humor...**

* * *

The spotted apprentice stood frozen, watching as Harescar dove into the water.

"Harescar! Are you out of your mind?" Brownpaw whined, leaping to the lake's edge. Water lapped at his paws, and already the puppy felt like he'd be sucked right in.

"Is saving my daughter out of my mind?" Harescar shot back, though his voice was terribly muffled over the splashing sounds he was making.

"Oh, oh…" Brownpaw gulped, and stared down at the dark waves for a moment. _Stop it. It's not the sun-drown-place. It's just the lake. _He blinked, and let his gaze travel all the way across the lake to RiverClan's territory, in the distance. _Just a very big… and a very deep… lake. _

He could hear Skunkflight squirming and grunting, still being pinned down by Flashnight and Firetail. Only StarClan knew what the black-and-white warrior would do if he was freed. _It has to be me. _

"I'm coming with you!" Brownpaw barked. He tried his best to stay quiet as he slid into the water; hopefully the night would conceal his dog-like shape enough from the other Clans.

He gasped; the water was the worst cold he had ever felt. It felt like ice had seeped through his fur and skin, and froze over his blood. _How am I supposed to swim if I'm all numb? _

But he found instinct kicking in, and before Brownpaw knew it, he was halfway to Harescar. Pebbles skidded beneath his frantically-working paws… and then suddenly there was nothing more to touch beneath him. Again Brownpaw gulped, but he pushed on. _There _is_ a bottom. It's not like an endless pit is under me. _He carried on, trying to quiet his thoughts, and keeping his muzzle well above the dark surface.

Finally, he reached Harescar when the ginger cat was three-quarters of the way to the center of the lake. "Harescar!" Brownpaw breathed. "I'm here."

"What?" Harescar snapped, though his sharp tone was weak and half-hearted. There was no doubt he needed to rest soon. "Go back. You don't need to risk yourself for me."

"It's not for _you_, smart one," Brownpaw growled through his chattering teeth. "I'm doing this for Flykit."

Harescar didn't say anything for a while. They paddled on, and Brownpaw noticed Harescar adopt a very similar dog-paddle to his. Suddenly the orange tom snorted, "Teeth chattering?"

"Yes, how could they not be? This water is as cold as Minnowcloud's soul."

Harescar laughed, and bubbles formed in the water when he temporarily ducked under. He reemerged and flicked the water off his ears smoothly. "Good one. It is true, though," he added, turning grim. "He only has water in his veins, not blood. His RiverClan roots have finally helped him get what he wants."

The pair, soaked to the bone, had reached the middle of the great expanse of water. Brownpaw, exhausted, thought he might be able to rest his legs for a moment. But that was a mistake; less than a heartbeat later, he started to sink. Sighing, Brownpaw continued pumping his limbs next to Harescar.

"Question," Brownpaw panted.

"Yes?"

"Why couldn't we just go by land?" Brownpaw grumbled. He truly hoped that he would never have to get this wet again.

Harescar twisted to gaze pointedly at him. "Hey, don't 'we' this situation. It was your choice to join me. And anyway, I wasn't about to have a confrontation with another Clan from cutting across their territory."

"Right. So let's nearly drown in a lake instead," Brownpaw replied hotly, lifting a shoulder.

Traveling to the Gathering Island took, literally, forever. Miraculously, Brownpaw reached land first. "Land ho," he grunted, slapping his forelegs one by one onto the damp grass and trying to scrabble up. "Can I have a boost?" Brownpaw asked, turning around to breathlessly glance at Harescar.

Harescar just blinked at him.

"Yeah, sorry, you'll have to touch my rump," Brownpaw muttered, kicking feebly with his hind legs. "It's now or never," he added.

"Fine," Harescar hissed. Brownpaw felt pressure on his rear end, and in the next instant, he was on his belly, splayed out on the Island.

Brownpaw squeezed shut his eyes, filling his lungs with deep gasps of air. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now help pull me up," Harescar meowed. He reached out his front paws and buried his claws into the earth, and that was about all he could do.

"Of course." Brownpaw turned around, leaned forward, and gripped Harescar's scruff in his jaws. The cat emitted a small squeak as Brownpaw dragged him up onto the island, sodden and dripping.

Once the dog had let him go, Harescar groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Good StarClan, Brownpaw, I'm not a kit and you're not my mother." He fluffed out his fur and shivered.

"What else was I supposed to do?" demanded Brownpaw. "Grab your tiny paws and gently pull you forward?"

Harescar glared at him. "_Yes!_"

"Never mind that," Brownpaw sighed. He watched Harescar take a step forward, looking like a ginger fluff-ball. "Hey. Try this." He stepped a bit farther away from the tomcat, and shook his pelt thoroughly. As the water droplets flew off of his fur and clung instead to the surrounding undergrowth, he grinned in relief.

"Might as well." Harescar shook out his own pelt, and a couple droplets landed on Brownpaw, who nodded and winced.

"… great job," the dog praised.

Harescar sniffed his shoulder and gagged. "Well, now I'll smell like lake algae for the rest of my life."

"Alright, saving your daughter, remember?" Brownpaw bounded ahead and peered through the leaves into the main clearing where the Clans held their Gatherings. It was breathtaking, with the enormously tall Great Tree and huge, grassy space. It was perfect, and Brownpaw just wished he could see it in use. _I'll never see it full. _

He felt Harescar's breath hot on his cheek. "No sign of Minnowcloud?"

"Negative," Brownpaw answered. "Suppose it's safe to go out there? For all we know, he could be hiding at the edge like us."

Harescar shook his head. "He's fast. He'd want to…" The tom paused to shudder. "… He'd want to _get rid of _her as fast as possible."

"You're right," Brownpaw agreed. He straightened, inhaled a deep breath of the chilly air, and then leaped over the bush. Harescar was right behind him.

The clearing was deserted and silent. _Quiet enough go hear a mouse take a step. _The two creatures padded forward, and luckily the earth was plush enough to mask their pawsteps.

Brownpaw desperately wanted to take time to stop and admire the Great Tree, among other things, but he kept reminding himself that every wasted heartbeat was a heartbeat closer to the end of Flykit's life.

They made it all the way across the clearing without any incidents. And then Brownpaw heard it moments before Harescar did. A rustle, and a mewl.

"It's her mewl," Harescar whispered, his voice cracking. However, his amber eyes quickly glazed over with a fierce expression. "I'm coming for you, my sweet."

No hesitations, no regrets. Brownpaw lunged forward toward the bushes opposite of where they had entered the clearing, as if the brush was Minnowcloud himself. _We're almost there! _

Not bothering to disguise themselves anymore, Brownpaw and Harescar exploded on the other side. There was just a small ring of land on the edge of the Island before there was, once again, water. It was really a small channel of water, not a wide lake, before the swimmer would hit RiverClan territory.

Just at the sight of it, and at the realization that they would have to swim again, Harescar whirled around and promptly coughed up a couple mouthfuls of dull, swirling water.

"That just about sums it up, buddy," Brownpaw said, patting Harescar's shoulder awkwardly until the ginger deputy was finished. Harescar just coughed and waddled forward until he was at the water's edge. And he jumped right in. Brownpaw had no choice but to follow.

Soft, blissful sand scraped their paw pads. Brownpaw panted happily for a moment, but then tucked away his tongue when he saw Harescar start to wrinkle his nose.

They basically waded across the shallow channel, and found themselves in a world of stomach-turning RiverClan scent markers.

"They really like their fish," Harescar choked informatively to Brownpaw.

_And that fishy smell is magnified in their markers, _Brownpaw noted to himself as he stuck out his tongue in disgust.

"I don't smell Minnowcloud at all," Brownpaw proclaimed. "It's just a stinky world of RiverClan."

Out of nowhere, Harescar shushed him. He crept onward, pushing through reeds and other various weeds weighed down with dew droplets. Brownpaw trailed him, keeping his ears pricked and jaws shut.

The deeper they got into RiverClan's territory, the more Brownpaw's dappled pelt bristled. _I've heard all about how friendly Honeystar is, but will he still be delighted to see trespassers in the middle of the night? _

Harescar's nose was pressed firmly to the ground, his mouth partly open. Brownpaw frowned quizzically, and decided he might as well try using his sniffer harder, too. He mimicked Harescar's posture.

Suddenly, voices rode in on the breeze. Brownpaw froze, his heart tickling his chest nervously.

Harescar flicked his tail-tip at him, then proceeded to shuffle to the left. Next, the ThunderClan deputy peered through a thick clump of cattails. Brownpaw held his tongue and also squinted between the waterlogged river plants.

It was most likely RiverClan's camp. A sleek figure was slinking around camp, a tiny kit hanging from his jaws. Brownpaw shifted, but Harescar swiped at him urgently. Cringing away from the tom's unsheathed, thorn-sharp claws, Brownpaw remained hunkered down… and continued watching the cat who was undoubtedly Minnowcloud with Flykit.

There was a loud _crunch_ and a quiet swear of "fox dung!" Brownpaw snorted— _Minnowcloud stepped on a twig, the genius. _

"Who's there?" A clear voice, belonging to a soft-voiced she-cat, emerged into the late leaf-fall atmosphere.

Minnowcloud sniffed and slid inaudibly into a den.

A dark ginger she-cat, probably the night guard, stepped into the open. Her copper-colored eyes glinted in the reviving daylight and reflected Brownpaw's anxiety.

She stood, gazing around for a while. Brownpaw's legs started to prickle from being laid on for so long. Then, thank StarClan, she picked her way back over the moist earth to her post at the camp entrance.

Minnowcloud slipped back out of the den, this time with no kit swinging from his mouth. _He left Flykit in that den? _

"You! Intruder!" The she-cat exploded back into the center of the clearing, her hackles raised and back arched. Minnowcloud turned on her, fangs bared and claws out.

"Hello, Goldenfinch," Minnowcloud greeted her scornfully, speaking her name like it was bitter poison on his tongue.

Goldenfinch blinked her round eyes. "Minnowpaw? Excuse me, I mean… Minnowcloud? Why are you back here?"

"Oh, just visiting," Minnowcloud responded coolly. "You?"

"I live here," Goldenfinch growled. "Now go back to ThunderClan. That's the Clan you chose, and that's where you belong now."

Minnowcloud shook his head. Brownpaw would think the gray tabby was forlorn, but the puppy knew better. "I have no more friends," Minnowcloud told his former Clanmate. "I was never fully welcome in ThunderClan either. Still better than here, though." He lifted one paw and watched his claws flex thoughtfully. "What was it you called me? Minnowbrain? No, forgive me… that was Sleetpaw. Your brother. Whatever happened to him?" Minnowcloud grilled. "Haven't heard from him in a while."

"Sleetpaw… passed away," Goldenfinch murmured. Her tail, jagged from her lifted hackles, lowered slightly.

"How?"

Goldenfinch closed her eyes, and Brownpaw saw that her lower jaw was trembling. "He drowned."

"Ah, the classic RiverClan death," Minnowcloud purred. Goldenfinch kept her eyes closed, and the half-Clan tom slid closer to her, as easily as if he were in water. _Open your eyes! _Brownpaw willed Goldenfinch, but mind telepathy was not something he shared with the ginger she-cat.

Minnowcloud pounced on Goldenfinch and bowled her over. He planted one big paw on her neck and smiled. "You'll be able to play with Sleetpaw again real soon, dear."

* * *

**He's so sweet.**


	18. The Unforgiving Opponent

**No no no it can't be July! Soon summer will be halfway over...**

**Anyways, enjoy.**

* * *

Goldenfinch winced and squirmed, exposing her soft neck to Minnowcloud's claws. Harescar chewed on the inside of his cheek. _She thinks she has no hope! _The ginger tom flattened his ears. _Come on, RiverClan, wake up! How can they be sleeping through all this? _

"This is what you get, Goldenfinch," Minnowcloud snarled. "After those endless moons of agony and angst and _pain_, you'll finally feel remorse for what you and Sleetpaw did to me."

Goldenfinch looked pathetic under the huge gray tabby, though her eyes were the opposite of her posture. Just from looking into her glittering gaze, Harescar truly believed she was fearless and, quite possibly, immune to the eagle-like talons gripping her throat. "Sleetpaw was right," she gurgled. Harescar could already see scarlet pinpricks forming under Minnowcloud's paw. "There was _always _something _off_ about you."

"Said the RiverClan cat who _drowned_," Minnowcloud spat. "The water is a RiverClan cat's second home. After moons of training, how could he have just succumbed to the element he was so familiar with?"

There was a long stretch of silence. Harescar was faintly aware of Brownpaw's tensed muscles beside him. _That's it. I'm going out to help her—_

The ginger she-cat gasped: a strangled intake of breath, so harsh to the ears that Harescar couldn't help growling a bit himself.

"He was found in the river," Goldenfinch rasped, her eyes misting over; whether from the memory or from slowly being choked to death, Harescar wasn't sure. "I just woke up that morning… he was… gone. A patrol found him… a short time later." Her tone became sharp and as bitter as yarrow. "There was something not _right _about his death… I knew it as well as I know how to breathe. I kept arguing and insisting something was wrong… but it was all ruled an accident… that he just slipped and _fell _in… but all this time—"

She was cut off by Minnowcloud swiping his claws lightly across her throat. He then stepped off her, and although she lay ominously still, Harescar, if he squinted, could see her chest rising and falling.

Minnowcloud paused, glaring down at his handiwork, when all of a sudden, Harescar sneezed.

That was all it took to set off a chain reaction.

First, Minnowcloud jumped about a tail-length in the air from surprise. Then he darted into the weeds directly across the camp from Harescar and Brownpaw.

Then a brown-and-white she-cat poked her head of the warriors' den, took one look at Goldenfinch, and screeched.

A broad-shouldered gray tom appeared at the den exit next to the brown-and-white cat, and his bright chartreuse eyes nearly rolled back in his head. He muttered something in his Clanmate's ear, and the she-cat proceeded to scramble across the clearing, yowling, "Cloudfloat! Cloudfloat!"

The Clan's medicine cat, a white she-cat with long, silky fur, exited her den and moved across the clearing until she could settle her wispy tail on Goldenfinch's flank. Cloudfloat rested her ear against the ginger cat's flank, and then mewed urgently, "She'll be fine, just as long as she gets treatment right away." She blinked at the original two warriors. "Secretheart, Nightstep, help me carry her to my den."

The two warriors slid themselves under Goldenfinch, and together they swiftly dropped off their injured Clanmate at Cloudfloat's den. Secretheart stayed in the den with the ginger she-cat, but Nightstep returned, his ears flattened and tail lashing. His huge black paws pounded against the ground in surprisingly nimble succession as he walked.

He swung around and snapped, "Secretheart! Get back out here, she's not dead yet." He embedded his fangs in his lower lip, and hissed angrily. "I'll find out who did this to my mate, even if it takes me to my last breath."

The splotched she-cat, surprisingly skinny for a RiverClan cat, tottered back out of the medicine den, her ears and nose very close to white in color.

"Circle around the camp, find where they escaped," Nightstep growled, staring hard at Secretheart until she fulfilled his barking order. "I'm sure they did their dirty work and escaped with clean paws."

"Yeah, t- there's no prints anywhere," Secretheart mumbled. She had started her circling with a trudge, but suddenly she added more speed into her step. She was getting closer to Harescar and Brownpaw by the instant.

_Won't be long now until we're discovered. _Harescar tried to flatten his ears even more, but found they could go no further. _Well, better we're found by her than big ol' grumpy Bearpaws over there. _

Right then, Nightstep stiffened. Ever so slowly, he crouched so that his hindquarters were in the air; kind of like the ThunderClan hunting crouch, though since it was unfamiliar to him, it was quite messy. He turned his head until he was glaring directly at Minnowcloud's hiding place. "I smell a scent," the gray warrior said, his lip curling into a smirk. "Something I haven't smelled in a _long _time." His glittering green eyes flicked in Secretheart's direction, and with a simple jerk of his head, he ushered her over.

Feverishly, she rushed to his side, blinking up at him. "It smells like that pitiful—" she started with a giggle.

"Now, _now_, let's not be harsh," Nightstep reminded her, his tone truly softening. "I doubt someone like… what was his real name? Oh, yes, Minnowcloud. I doubt someone like _him _would have anything to do with this. All I need to know is…"

Minnowcloud sprang out of the weeds, water and dew droplets spraying all over the three cats. The gray tabby's pelt was even slicker than usual from the moisture where he'd been lying in wait. "… Why I'm in your camp, Nightstep?" he finished for the big tom.

Nightstep sprang back from his former Clanmate in surprise, but he quickly gathered himself. "Minnowscales— I mean, er, Minnowcloud? Heh… what… what are you doing here, buddy?"

"Doing what should've been done a long time ago." With that, Minnowcloud bunched his haunches and prepared to leap onto yet another one of his apparent enemies.

Just when he was heartbeats from colliding with the caught-off-guard tom, Secretheart sprang in the way, her leap just as bouncy and jittery as her demeanor. Minnowcloud hit her hard with an "_oof_".

All was silent for a moment. Harescar, chest heaving like he was in the middle of the action himself, watched as Minnowcloud got off of the brown-and-white cat. The gray tabby tried to make a move toward Nightstep again, but Secretheart, moaning in pain, reached up and snagged some skin with her claws.

Minnowcloud yelled and pulled free of her. He made a wide birth around Secretheart, still not giving up on his quest to inflict wounds on Nightstep.

Secretheart let her forelegs collapse beneath her, and she groaned through gritted teeth. Nightstep continued to back away from Minnowcloud, all the while calling to the injured she-cat, "Secretheart! Your leg!"

The brown-and-white cat took one forlorn look at him, then slowly transitioned to her horribly-twisted leg. "Well, would you look at that?" She sighed, sounding surprisingly content as well as wistful while she whispered, "It was worth it."

Finally Harescar noticed numerous pairs of eyes glowing in the confining darkness of the dens. An amber gaze glittered like twin gems inside the warriors' den. Anxious green and blue eyes shared a glance.

Relief pooled in the ginger deputy's belly. _RiverClan is awake! Now if I could just explain to them what is going on, I can get Flykit, and I'll be out of this entire mucky mess. Minnowcloud, on the other paw… _

The dark gray warrior was currently wrestling with Nightstep, while Secretheart dragged herself away from the grunt-and-claw-filled fight. Cloudfloat poked her head out of the medicine den, took one look at her leg, and scrambled forward to offer the RiverClan she-cat a supporting shoulder.

There was a sharp, distinct mew from the nursery. Harescar tensed, took a deep breath, and then sprang out of the bushes. _I can only pray that Brownpaw stays concealed. _

Three young cats shoved each other to get out of what Harescar guessed was the apprentices' den.

"It's Harescar!" screeched a bright ginger tabby, clearly gleeful that she was the first to recognize him. A heavyset pale gray tom and a blue-gray she-cat managed to stand beside their denmate as well.

"StarClan, Rollingpaw, it wouldn't hurt for you to shed some fat," muttered the latter she-cat, glaring back at their den. "You made a dent in the den entrance just trying to get out."

Rollingpaw hung his head glumly.

Harescar recalled these apprentices now: Wolfpaw, Rollingpaw, and Bluepaw, the kits of Honeystar. _Of course, it must be the leader's kits who are the first to notice me. _

"Don't go picking on Rollingpaw," Wolfpaw growled to her sister. "We can pick on the stinky ThunderClan cat instead!"

"Grow up, Wolf," Bluepaw shot back. "Apprentices aren't supposed to pick on deputies."

A shadow fell over them heartbeats before a voice boomed, "Harescar? Is ThunderClan in trouble?"

Harescar swallowed as he met Honeystar's green gaze. The golden tabby seemed genuinely concerned, not hostile, and he only showed a touch of irritation as he ushered his children back into their den.

"Er… kind of," Harescar answered hesitantly, dipping his head to the higher cat.

Honeystar tilted his own head, stepping over Wolfpaw's lashing ginger tail as he moved closer to Harescar. "Well, something must've urged you to come all this way." The oily-furred tom squinted, and then gaped. "And your fur is damp! Don't tell me you swam all the way across the lake to get here?"

"Okay, I won't tell you then," Harescar mumbled with a hint of a laugh.

Honeystar twitched his whiskers and parted his jaws to speak when a comment from Bluepaw could be heard from within the apprentices' den. "Only RiverClan cats can swim…"

Honeystar turned and hissed something to her before straightening and shrugging apologetically to Harescar. "Excuse them. Unfortunately, they don't _know _better."

Honeystar's deputy, Freewhisper, was dealing with Minnowcloud and Nightstep, trying fruitlessly to separate the two. The golden leader watched the flustered brown she-cat for a moment, and then puffed air through his nose.

"In a matter of heartbeats, our Clan has fallen into a pit of chaos." Honeystar arched a brow at Harescar. "I sincerely hope that you don't have anything to do with Minnowcloud being in our camp, Harescar."

Harescar flattened his ears and opened his mouth to hotly reply that he didn't have anything to do with it in the slightest. But then he realized something; _I _do _have something to do with Minnowcloud being here. I have _everything _to do with it. _

"Honeystar…" Harescar murmured, crouching down before the older tom. "I'm sorry to say that Minnowcloud being here is all my fault."

"_What_?" The golden tabby stood rigid, his sharp chartreuse eyes wide.

"It's true. When Minnowcloud came to ThunderClan, my brother Stonepaw and me… we bullied him. Severely. Called him names, anything and everything of that sort. Obviously, it's damaged him emotionally… StarClan only knows what happened to him when he was in RiverClan. If Stonepaw and I had welcomed him the way we should've, the way Squirrelstar urged and begged us to, then maybe I wouldn't be here right now. And maybe he wouldn't be here right now either, attacking former allies. Apologizing will never be enough to soothe the wounds or heal the damage done, but I will try my best anyway. I am sorry."

Harescar spoke all of this while looking at his paws and, every now and then, at Honeystar. _But this is for Minnowcloud. _

The sounds of scuffling at the side of the clearing had been eradicated; whether by Freewhisper or by Harescar's apology, the ginger tom would never know.

All he did know was that Minnowcloud was padding away from Nightstep, who was indignantly grumbling and licking his shoulder fur. The gray tabby halted directly in front of Harescar, his blue eyes emotionless, only staring somewhat absently at his adversary.

And then Harescar fell back, pain screaming all down his spine. He ground his teeth and spun so that his belly was facing the earth, protected. Claws and teeth scrabbled at his aching backbone and flanks, each one a new prickle delivering a fresh wave of blinding pain. _What is wrong with me? _

"Separate them!" Honeystar's order rang out, probably much louder than Harescar's ears recognized it to be.

The ginger tomcat was jerked away from his furious opponent. And furious Minnowcloud was; he screeched like an owl, howled like a wolf, screamed like a fearful Twoleg kit.

"Keep them far away from each other." Honeystar's stinking breath stirred Harescar's ear fur and tickled his muzzle.

A gray-and-white tom— _Silentecho_, Harescar vaguely remembered from some past Gathering— was dragging Minnowcloud near the camp exit, but, regretfully, they did not leave.

Harescar registered touch on his own shoulders, and paws pinning back his limbs, which he hadn't realized were flailing like a newborn kit's.

"You're with me, Ginger," a voice breathed in his ear. Harescar's pelt burned with an unseen fire; _Ginger. How old is this cat, three moons? _

"Show some respect, Mintleaf." Honeystar could be heard through the pounding in Harescar's head. "He is the deputy of ThunderClan, after all." There was a pause before the leader continued, "And I hope you haven't forgotten you have ginger fur yourself."

Harescar snorted, and he felt the two toms' optics alight on him. "Sorry, just breathing here," he uttered.

Just then, Brownpaw sprang into the clearing. The cats of RiverClan shrieked, Minnowcloud bared his teeth, and Harescar just watched.

* * *

**I don't think Minnowcloud forgives him.**


	19. The Inhospitable Clan

**Hello, everyone! I hope you like this action-packed chapter of Dusk :)**

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"I am sorry."

It was as if time had been jerked to a complete, abrupt standstill. Brownpaw's breath seemed to catch in his throat, and for a few moments the dog choked, unable to comprehend what was happening.

Harescar was apologizing to Minnowcloud? _After all that's happened… maybe that was all that was needed in the first place. _Brownpaw finally swallowed a lungful of air again, grateful for the oxygen. _Maybe now Minnowcloud will realize—_

Minnowcloud had lost interest in fighting Nightstep. The gray tabby had most certainly heard Harescar's speech, and he was now heading away from the RiverClan warrior. Brownpaw silently willed the arrogant tom to not attack Harescar. _He's apologized to you! Just, please, StarClan… _

Out of nowhere, the half-blooded warrior leaped, slamming his paws against a stunned Harescar's chest as he pushed him to the ground. The ginger deputy curled his back and fell backwards right onto his spine. A strangled cry escaped from the tomcat's outstretched tongue, but not before Harescar managed to scramble onto all four paws again.

Outraged, Minnowcloud clung onto Harescar's flanks, like the orange tom was a bear he was trying to take down.

Honeystar bounded forward as the agitated pair struggled back and forth, each matching his opponent's every blow.

"Separate them!" the RiverClan leader shouted.

Two toms, one gray-and-white and the other a ginger tabby, tore Minnowcloud and Harescar away from each other. It was a difficult job, like tearing a blade of grass in half lengthwise.

Minnowcloud wriggled viciously in the gray-and-white warrior's grasp. The RiverClan tom nearly lost hold of him, until a dark tortoiseshell she-cat stepped forward and muttered, "I'll help you hold him back, Silentecho." The two then restrained the dark tabby by pinning back his jerking legs.

Meanwhile, the ginger tabby who captured Harescar was whispering something almost tauntingly into the deputy's ear. Brownpaw's pelt prickled angrily. _Do you seriously think it's a good idea to tease an exasperated cat like Harescar? You just might lose your nose. Or an eye. Or half an ear. _

The puppy could hear Honeystar scolding the young ginger warrior. "Show some respect, Mintleaf. He is the deputy of ThunderClan, after all. And I hope you haven't forgotten you have ginger fur yourself."

Brownpaw rolled his eyes and wondered what Mintleaf had said to Harescar. _But that's really not that important right now._

A tense peace had alighted on the RiverClan camp clearing. It did seem like some kind of peace, after all of the scuffling Minnowcloud had instigated. The only claws that were unsheathed at this point were the half-Clan warrior's.

Then there was a distinct mewl from the nursery, and Brownpaw's stomach seemed to flop over inside of him. _Harescar needs to get Flykit! _He chewed on his lower lip. _I must distract everyone. Then hopefully he'll get loose of Mintleaf, and he'll understand my signal to get her. But what can I do to get everyone focused somewhere else besides him and Minnowcloud?_

Right then, it came to him. _I know what I have to do._

He sprang out of his longtime hiding place, yapping furiously. "Mmm! Delicious kitties! Come to dog!" _I hope my impersonation is spot-on, and not too much like a coyote! _

Any living feline soul within a twenty-fox-length radius screamed bloody murder. Even a thick cloud of birds fluttered up from ShadowClan territory.

Well, every cat yowled their heart out except for Harescar and Minnowcloud. They stopped squirming against their respective captors; Minnowcloud showed his teeth to Brownpaw while Harescar simply stared at him.

Brownpaw stood frozen, tail erect, as the last of the fearful yells ascended into the lightening sky. Then the action and chaos resumed, and multiple RiverClan cats jumped onto Brownpaw, consuming him in a world of fish-scent, claws, fangs, and rapidly twitching whiskers.

A light brown tabby she-cat— the deputy, Freewhisper— was in the heart of the throng, on top of Brownpaw. She shoved his head against the moist earth, and he grunted as she hissed, "How in StarClan's name did a _dog _get into our territory?"

"Its idiot Twoleg probably let it loose, and it was intrigued by the craziness here," a black tom with his paws pressed on Brownpaw's throat replied.

Brownpaw couldn't help but let a growl rumble up his throat and off his tongue. _"It?" Excuse me, but I'm a "he," thank you very much. _

"No filthy animal like this deserves to roam free," spat a black-and-white she-cat.

"Move aside, move aside, don't kill it," Honeystar said. Heartbeats later, the golden tabby appeared, his thick pelt brushing the black warrior's. He looked at the tom. "Ravencry, calm yourself, will you? As long as it is held down at the head and flanks, it can't hurt anyone. Get your paws off of its throat."

Grumbling, the tom obeyed his leader, and Brownpaw heaved a huge sigh through his nose as the weight lifted off of his windpipe. _At least I'm on my belly. I feel more protected that way. _

"Now, let's see," Honeystar meowed, stepping precariously closer to Brownpaw. "Hm. Looks like a young one. Probably wouldn't do much damage."

"But he's so _big_!" gasped Wolfpaw, who had somehow squeezed her way in so that she could crouch under her father's belly.

The black-and-white cat's long fur was fluffed up. "Yeah, I wouldn't put it past—" She was interrupted by a glare from Honeystar. Brownpaw held back a snort; with her perfectly-groomed longer pelt, she looked like an angry and pampered kittypet.

After ushering Wolfpaw out of the circle, Honeystar returned so he could squat right in front of Brownpaw's face, to look at him eye-to-eye. Then he stood back up and turned to face his gathered cats. "I'm not too concerned about it. Its long legs just make it look tall and 'big' and scary, but in reality it couldn't do much more than give somebody a little nibble." He shrugged. "Remember, dogs don't have retractable claws like we do, so that's one last weapon for them, and one more for us."

There were breaths of relief, and the crowd began to disperse, probably to return to Harescar and Minnowcloud, and expecting their leader to take care of the dog. _No! I can't let them go yet! _

Brownpaw decided to use the element of surprise, and reached up a long limb to swipe at Honeystar's tail. It was a hit-or-miss shot; and luckily Brownpaw made the former. The leader spun around and blinked in shock at Brownpaw. It wasn't like the dog had drawn any blood, but it was still an unexpected move.

Honeystar's kits were standing there as well, dumbfounded.

"I thought you said dogs don't use their claws!" Rollingpaw exclaimed in confusion.

"They _don't_ use their claws," Honeystar told the plump apprentice. "At least, normally they don't." His green eyes flitted back and forth over Brownpaw, studying the older puppy. "This one is more clever than most." He nodded to Freewhisper, who was still pinning down Brownpaw's head. "Let go of his head now, Freewhisper." _Thank StarClan! My muzzle's been aching for ages now. _

Unhurriedly, and clearly reluctantly, Freewhisper climbed off of Brownpaw's back and padded to stand beside her leader. Weight still remained on his haunches and tail; Brownpaw twisted slightly to see a light gray tabby holding down his rear end.

He turned back around to see that— what a shocker— Honeystar and Freewhisper were staring at him. Brownpaw wanted nothing more than to speak to them as he normally spoke to cats… but it wasn't like that would go over well with any cat not a member of ThunderClan.

"Hey, hey, put your claws away. I just want to see him."

Brownpaw lifted his head again to see Harescar shoulder his way between Honeystar and his deputy. Freewhisper's dark eyes were now narrowed suspiciously at Harescar. "How do you know it's a 'him'?" she questioned the ginger cat.

Honeystar didn't back her up, though Brownpaw suspected the golden tom was dying to know the answer as well.

"Well, in ThunderClan, every apprentice learns how to distinguish male foxes from female foxes, male badgers from females, and so on," Harescar answered facetiously. But his tone was apparently convincing enough for Honeystar and Freewhisper, for they both raised their brow slightly, inclined their heads, and shuffled back to let Harescar and Silentecho, his new shadow, through.

Brownpaw needed to put on a believable performance too, and proceeded to curl his lip and snarl ferociously at his friend. _He'll know it's fake. _

But instead Harescar jumped back, nearly careening into his RiverClan guard. Genuine-looking shock and disbelief glittered in his gaze. Brownpaw's heart zoomed into his throat. _No! I'm not actually— _

Slowly, rigidly, Harescar returned to his full height, glaring stonily at Brownpaw. "Well," he repeated. "I'll just…" he trailed off as Brownpaw jerked his head forward. All four cats facing him tensed, but the dog wasn't making a move for them. Again, looking directly at Harescar, he jerked his head in what he hoped was the correct direction.

To Brownpaw's sweet relief, realization finally dawned in the ThunderClan deputy's amber eyes. Harescar continued on, "I'll just… be going now!"

With that, he sped away, right into the den where Minnowcloud had dropped off Flykit what felt like ages ago.

"What in StarClan's name is he doing?" Freewhisper snapped, her striped tail lashing as she stared after the tom for a moment, too bewildered to do anything for a moment.

"_What _are you waiting for?" Honeystar said to Silentecho. "Pursue him!"

The gray-and-white warrior looked as if he had been dropped off a cliff face. "Wha- I—"

Honeystar bounded away to the nursery, grumbling all the while, "May StarClan help that tom..." Brownpaw wondered if this was the first time Honeystar was ever irritated in recorded history.

_Good luck fetching Flykit, Harescar, _Brownpaw thought to himself.

The puppy snorted very quietly so as to not attract Freewhisper's attention. She had sent away Silentecho, suggesting he go to Cloudfloat and take something for shock. "I think we all need it," the brown tabby muttered as she settled down in front of Brownpaw with a sigh. She flicked her tail at the gray warrior holding down his hindquarters. The gesture must have been some kind of silent signal, for the weight lessened on his rear.

"So," Freewhisper mewed, turning to Brownpaw. "I think we've got you defeated, dog. So what do you say you scram, and never return? Go back to your Twoleg or wherever it is you came from. And if you're found on RiverClan territory again, we won't be as generous to you."

Brownpaw forced his hackles to keep flat. _Gee, I didn't realize how generous you've all been. So hospitable. You've only pinned me down, called me "it" like I'm a dead mouse, referred to me as a "filthy animal", and probably bruised my neck. Yes, I'll regret leaving here for sure. _

"Let it go, Calmbrook. It can't be that fierce and strong if it hasn't wriggled free and killed us all by now," Freewhisper ordered.

As the weight started to lift, Brownpaw growled. _How would you like an example of what I'm capable of doing? I'll wipe that smug grin right off your fish-munching face. _

Calmbrook hesitated at hearing his growl. Freewhisper rolled her eyes. "Do it already! We're not getting any younger here."

Calmbrook hopped off Brownpaw's rump, and the dog howled gleefully before tearing through the cattails and marshy weeds. "Thank StarClan," he breathed once he was safely away from that cursed camp.

But he wasn't safe enough. He was still inside RiverClan's stinky borders, and every heartbeat he was still on their land was another heartbeat closer to, positively, death. "I brought this on myself," Brownpaw mumbled as he headed to the lakeshore. "But it was worth it."

With a floppy-tongued-smile, he waded into the water, only to be yanked right back out of it, sand grains spraying everywhere.

When the sandy clouds cleared, he found himself facing a windblown Firetail. Flashnight was standing just behind, black fur noticeably tousled.

Brownpaw shook his head and simpered. "You two look like you made a shortcut through the Great Battle to get here." He eyed their legs, which were the only dripping wet part of them. "_And _you walked through a rainstorm upside down?"

"Close, but not quite," Flashnight laughed. "We cut through WindClan territory, though we did have to slip into shallow parts of the lake several times."

Brownpaw blinked. "WindClan just… _let _you barge on through?"

"Nah," Firetail grunted. "We got held up by a dawn patrol for a while. They had to get the deputy, and we explained to Thrusheye that we were on our way to rescue a kit. Some warriors escorted us to the border and that was just now. Then we ran into you!"

Flashnight exchanged a frown with Firetail. "Please don't tell us you were going to swim all the way back home again."

"Actually, now that I think about, I'm not quite sure what I was going to do," Brownpaw sighed. "All I know is that RiverClan does not want me on their turf anymore. So… can we go?"

"What about Harescar and Flykit?"

Firetail's question caught Brownpaw off-guard so much that he immediately shot back, "What about Skunkflight?"

Firetail wrinkled his nose at the apparent thought of their heavyset Clanmate. "I sent him back to Brokenstar with some nips to remember. No doubt he has a lot of explaining to do if he doesn't want to be exiled."

"And Harescar…?" Flashnight inquired. It was likely the first time Brownpaw had ever seen him impatient.

"He's getting Flykit. That's another whole battle, one that I can't get into. Now, _please_—"

The pair of ThunderClan toms again looked at each other. An exasperated Brownpaw briefly wondered if they had become best friends during the journey here. _Because now they like to share every glance… they even seem to blink and sigh at the same time, for StarClan's sake! _

"Fine," Firetail said a few eons later. "I'll take Brownpaw to neutral territory— the Gathering Island— for now and to rest. If it comes to it, we'll spend the night. At least no one can condemn us for that. And you, Flashnight, go to RiverClan and help Harescar, help explain…"

Flashnight dipped his head and started to dart off into the dew-covered cattails Brownpaw now so hated. But the black cat froze suddenly and spun back around. "Brownpaw, what became of Minnowcloud tonight?"

Brownpaw was already stepping into the canal for the short swim to the Island. He didn't look back as he replied, "You'll find out."

* * *

**I'm obsessed with so many songs right now... somebody help me...**


	20. The Plunge Underwater

**Well, here it is! I had at least half of this chapter done several days ago, I just couldn't bring myself to finish it until now. **

**Just one more chapter in Dusk! Make the most of it :D**

* * *

Flecks of saliva gleamed on the sharp fangs. Additional foamy drops flew through the air and landed on Harescar's raised fur as the dog's lip curled.

At first, the ginger tom was almost sure he was experiencing a demented nightmare… where he was about to be killed at the paws of Brownpaw, of all creatures.

Blinding shock made Harescar leap back in surprise. The shock charging his nerves mostly came from realizing that this was real life, not a horrifying dream. Harescar blinked down at his frenemy, who was currently being pinned down by the gray tabby warrior Calmbrook.

Harescar stepped back away from his clingy guard, Silentecho, who he had almost ran over in his instinctual jump backwards.

_Why in the name of StarClan would he act like this? _Harescar flexed his claws. _That twerp better not still be angry with me because I was right about Minnowcloud messing with that fresh-kill! _Fixing his amber gaze into a firm scowl aimed at the dog, Harescar grumbled, "Well, I'll just…"

However, he trailed off when he saw Brownpaw drop his curled lip and gesture forward with his head. Harescar, his guard, and Honeystar and Freewhisper next to them all stiffened, but Brownpaw wasn't trying to escape from Calmbrook. The dappled puppy locked his deep brown eyes with Harescar's, and again jerked his head in the direction of—

_The nursery! _Pure relief and joy flooded Harescar so that he was nearly dizzy. _It was all staged, to make him seem like a believable "dog" to Honeystar and the others. _With a sly smirk playing at his lips, Harescar announced abruptly, "I'll just… be going now!"

Before Silentecho even knew what hit him, the ginger tom was gone, streaking away from Brownpaw, and galloping like his namesake over to the nursery. _My Flykit is in there. One of my two links with Brokenstar. I won't let my family down. _

Behind him, he could hear Freewhisper exclaim, "What in StarClan's name is he doing?"

Harescar rolled his eyes as he slid into the nursery on burning paws. _I couldn't even answer that question myself. _

Immediately upon his arrival, a queen with fur darker than the night sky flattened herself against the wall in front of four squirming kits, her jaws open wide in an enormous hiss.

"Stay away, intruder!" she warned, batting out a paw adorned with thorn-sharp claws.

"Ebonystrike, is that you?" Harescar beamed and dipped his head at the black she-cat as if her claws weren't whisker-lengths from his nose. "I had forgotten you were having kits! Allow me to offer my congratulations to you and Ravencry."

The paw in front of his muzzle bobbed slightly, and the glint of claws disappeared as they were tucked back into their sheaths. "H- Harescar? From ThunderClan?"

The ginger deputy dipped his head. "Yes, that's my name. Don't wear it out." He laughed nervously, already aware he was treading on thin ice with the startled queen. _And if the ice breaks, Flykit will plunge into the freezing waters with me. _

Ebonystrike narrowed her optics at him. "Why have you come in here?"

"Alright, you're coming with me," a voice grunted from Harescar's right flank.

The orange deputy startled when a paw fastened on his haunch. He whirled around, nearly falling on his face because of his suspended leg, to find Honeystar glowering at him with a vicious, biting look in his green eyes. _I didn't even know he was there! _Harescar shuddered. _If looks could kill… _

Honeystar was the last cat on anybody's "hated" list; he never had a bone to pick with anybody. _If Honeystar, friendly Honeystar of RiverClan, is genuinely cross with me, then I've taken an extreme misstep. _

"Wait, wait, Honeystar!" Harescar begged suddenly as Honeystar yanked him out of the nursery, Ebonystrike's questioning face melting into the darkness once more. Once they were outside, Harescar raked his gaze over the marshy clearing, but Brownpaw was gone, presumably chased away. _Hopefully that's all that happened to him… _

The golden tabby shook his head vigorously, screwing up his face like it did him great harm to say no. "I'm sorry, Harescar, but you've crossed the line. After Minnowcloud, and that dog, and then you barging into RiverClan's nursery… I just don't have the patience anymore. I'm afraid this night has taken a toll on my sanity."

He exhaled stiffly through his nose as he finally let go of Harescar at the camp entrance and called a couple of warriors over. "Whisperbreeze, Owlscreech, please escort this troubled fellow out of our camp, and all the way to ThunderClan's camp, if you will." Honeystar threw a gaze that was more puzzled than disgusted toward Harescar. "I suppose you can inform Brokenstar of his actions tonight, as well as Minnowcloud's." He motioned for Mountaindapple to bring over the gray tabby.

Harescar's eyes widened. _Oh, StarClan, no! Minnowcloud mustn't set one bloody paw inside ThunderClan borders again. _

"No—" he started, but just then Freewhisper strolled up, her blue eyes glittering with hostility and distrust.

"That is, Honeystar, if Brokenstar isn't biased," the brown tabby sneered. "When it all comes down to it, Harescar is her _mate_. She's given birth to his kits—"

"And one of those ki—"

Freewhisper bared her fangs at the ThunderClan cat before continuing on, "So I wouldn't put it past her to give her 'deputy' a free pass this time around."

Harescar had had enough. _I'm fed up with these insane accusations. Has every Clan automatically assumed Brokenstar runs the Clan unfairly just because I'm her mate and we have kits? _He wrinkled his nose as he watched Freewhisper shed another false guess about Brokenstar's leadership. _I would receive just punishment like any other cat if I were to mess up! _

"Shut it, fish-breath, and listen here," Harescar interrupted the RiverClan deputy. Freewhisper was stunned silent, at long last, for a few heartbeats. That was all Harescar needed to squeeze a few words in. "The way Brokenstar runs ThunderClan, as well as my relationship with her, is none of your business. There is something far more important right now that I must deal with, and it will easily explain why I went into your nursery."

Honeystar stood with his mouth agape for a moment. Then he snarled, "You have no right to speak to my deputy in that way. Just because you're the deputy of the broken Clan doesn't mean you can throw names at—"

Just then, Honeystar stopped speaking. His green orbs of eyes were huger than they had ever been before. He blinked at the still-quiet Freewhisper, and then right away began blubbering, "I- I'm sorry, Harescar. I did… I did not mean in any w- way to, to, to, er, offend…"

"So this is what ThunderClan has become?" Harescar mewed quietly. His gaze was focused on his paws, and his posture was slouched, almost pathetic-looking. "We have become a Clan to toss names at because of its leader and deputy being mates? Because of there being _true love _between the highest hierarchies of the Clan?" Out of nowhere, he jerked his head upwards and snarled with the ferocity of a badger, "We're the _broken _Clan now?"

"He didn't mean it, Harescar," Freewhisper stated firmly. As the ThunderClan cat stood up and began to walk back to the nursery, the brown tabby threw out her tail to temporarily bar his way. "Wait, let us explain—"

Harescar snorted. "There's no _need _to explain, I already understand perfectly. So don't waste your breath." He easily shrugged off Freewhisper's tail and proceeded back the way Honeystar had dragged him.

Darkness momentarily smothered Harescar once again as he stepped into the nursery. "Harescar? Y- you're, er, back already?"

He ignored Ebonystrike's puzzled questions and only grunted, "I believe you have my kit."

The cautiously friendly air around the queen vanished into thin air. "Excuse me!" Ebonystrike snarled as if Harescar was already nosing through her nest. "I think I would _realize _if I had an extra kit with me."

No longer being in a protective stance, Ebonystrike had allowed the kits Harescar saw behind her earlier to now be curled by her belly. However, these were older kits, far past suckling age, and practically tumbling out of the nest. Harescar glared at the three separate pelts of dark gray, pale brown, and black. "Oh, give me a break!" he sighed, mostly to himself. "She's pale ginger. She should stand out like blood on snow."

"Hold on a moment," Ebonystrike mewed slowly. Her tone was still irritable, but Harescar had a feeling that she was going to help him. "She isn't Minnowcloud's kit?" As the black RiverClan cat said this, she pulled out Flykit from her apparent hiding place under the pale brown kit.

"Flykit!" Harescar cried joyfully. Breathing words of thanks, he eagerly snatched his daughter from Ebonystrike's jaws and placed the ginger kit on the ground so they could embrace.

"Papa!" Flykit squeaked in return. Her yellow eyes, so much like that of her mother's, shone as they met his. "This place smells like fish! And I'm c- c- cold." Upon closer examination, Harescar realized that Flykit was trembling like there was no tomorrow.

He rested his muzzle on her head and pulled her closer to him with his tail. Her heartbeat was louder than ever, pounding against his skull as they held tight, until her shivers decreased significantly.

The entire time Ebonystrike was watching them with wide, guilty eyes. "I owe you and Flykit a sincere apology, Harescar," she murmured. "I didn't have any idea… I just saw Minnowcloud drop her off in here and I didn't know what to think! I thought she might be his daughter, but—"

"No, he had two sons with the former loner Skyclaw. But they've broken up, so there won't be any more kits from him," Harescar informed her swiftly. "I think we can all be glad about that," he chuckled as his whiskers brushed Flykit's.

Harescar bid Ebonystrike goodbye and then padded out of the den, his pleasant mood refreshed and restored now that he had Flykit under his wing again. _Unfortunately, I have no idea what I'll have to face out here… _

When he reentered the clearing, he found Honeystar and Freewhisper facing him, side-by-side. The only expression on their faces was of solemnity.

Meanwhile, the less-than-peaceful Minnowcloud was thrashing in Mountaindapple's grasp like a fish tossed out of water. Harescar tensed as he glimpsed the livid glint in his enemy's dark eyes. _He's going to get loose. _He glanced down at Flykit, who was staring concernedly back up at him. _No. I can't let Flykit know there will be disaster. _

Harescar led his daughter to the leader and deputy of RiverClan, both of whom seemed physically unable to tear their eyes off of the father-daughter pair.

"Please forgive me for my display of behavior before," Harescar meowed to the golden and brown tabbies, throwing in a formal dip of the head as well. "I was desperate to retrieve my daughter Flykit here from your nursery, and…"

Heartbeats after Harescar trailed off, Freewhisper smoothly took over. "And just why was _your _daughter in _our _nursery?" She flexed her claws, and Flykit whimpered in fear. "Did she wander out of camp, get lost, and _accidentally _swim across the lake?"

The ginger deputy fought the urge to take out his own claws. _I'm not unsheathing them this close to Flykit. But I have nobody else to look over her… _He sighed. _StarClan knows how much I need a friendly Clanmate right now. _"Don't hurt us," he instead warned aloud. "I'll fight back with all my strength if I must."

"We don't plan on harming a hair on your pelt or your kit's," Honeystar said evenly. "We just don't understand how, in the name of our warrior ancestors, a ThunderClan kit ended up in the RiverClan nursery."

Harescar fluffed up the fur on his neck a bit and exhaled hotly. "Do you see that gray tabby fox-heart over there?" he demanded, gesturing to Minnowcloud, still barely being restrained by Mountaindapple, and now a few additional cats. "Well, I suppose you were asleep, like most normal cats would be, when _he _stole my daughter from the den Brokenstar and I share with her and her brother. _He _then used his only remaining ally, who shall remain unnamed, to cover for him as he put his half-RiverClan heritage to the test and swam across the lake with Flykit. Upon arriving here, he was, naturally, heard, and thoughtlessly stashed Flykit in a random den, which turned out to be your nursery."

"Harescar!"

The ThunderClan deputy lifted his head from where he had been nuzzling Flykit at the same instant Flashnight burst into the camp. Right away two RiverClan cats sped forward to meet them with raised hackles, but Honeystar ordered them away.

"What is the meaning of all this?" the golden tabby demanded, his green eyes wild with anger and exasperation. "I cannot remember the last time there were this many ThunderClan cats at once in my camp. Now, please, _get out_!"

Harescar pricked his ears in surprise. "You don't want any more explanations? Like, why I'm here?" He twisted to blink gratefully at his Clanmate. "Or why he has somehow come—"

"I don't want to hear it. I'm done," Honeystar growled. Already the leader was heading back to his den. "I just want to sleep."

"But Honeystar, it's past dawn," Freewhisper pointed out, her voice barely a whisper as she chased after the tired tom.

Honeystar turned on her. "Look at my face! Does it look like I care?" He whirled back around, tail lashing to and fro. "I think not. Now remove all ThunderClan cats from the premises."

And with that, Harescar, Flykit, and Flashnight were escorted to the border with WindClan. The exhausted RiverClan cats gladly turned tail and headed back to their camp, though not before they dropped off a thoroughly tousled Minnowcloud.

Harescar couldn't bring himself to deal with the gray tabby yet. Instead he faced Flashnight and rasped his tongue over the tom's shoulder in a sincerely grateful movement. "I cannot thank you enough for getting us out of that, Flashnight. But I must ask, what happened to Firetail, and Brownpaw, if you know?"

Flashnight grinned. "They are both fine and safe." He flicked his tail, and Harescar's eyes followed the gesture to the narrow channel of water between RiverClan territory and the Gathering Island. "They waded through there to the Island to rest. We've all had an immensely long night." He crouched down and tapped his nose to Flykit's before the surprised she-kit could resist his affection. "You're a trooper, Flykit!" he mewed sweetly to her. "But I'm sure you're ready to rest. Am I right?"

Flykit nodded and confirmed it with a huge yawn. Harescar laughed and picked his daughter up by her scruff. Luckily, she was sleepy enough to not even care.

The ginger tom picked his way over to the lakeshore and mumbled around Flykit's wispy ginger fur, "So this is fairly shallow?"

"Yup," replied Flashnight. "Honestly, I'm surprised the RiverClan cats, with their swimming skill, don't take this route to the Island instead of walking around farther to the tree-bridge."

Harescar just shrugged good-naturedly and climbed into the channel, lifting his chin to keep Flykit out of the chilly depths. At its deepest point, Harescar was only in up to his chest, a very easy "swim."

_Wait… _Harescar felt a jolt as he realized something. "Minnowcloud!" he exclaimed out loud, nearly losing his hold on Flykit as he spun around to see that the half-blooded warrior had disappeared.

"Fox dung," Flashnight spat. Harescar barely had the time to glance at the black tom in shock— for Flashnight never swore— before he heard the tiniest of splashes.

"Take Flykit and wade the rest of the way to the Island," Harescar instructed the dark-furred warrior. "I'll investigate." He handed off Flykit to Flashnight without any of her little paws ever touching the water. Then the ginger tomcat headed down the shore, hating the feel of the water soaking his pelt and dangerously nearing WindClan territory, until…

As Harescar carefully paddled through the shallow waters, he felt something brush his haunch. He thought nothing of it, until there was a gentle tug on his tail.

Harescar paused in his swimming and tried moving his tail. _Maybe it's stuck…? _But it was wedged in tight somewhere, leaving Harescar confused. _I didn't even feel it touch anything like a boulder—_

And then he felt it again, much more distinct, much less gently this time: a yank on his hind leg. Harescar screeched helplessly as whatever had pulled on him caused the ginger cat to plunge underwater.

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**Cats don't have gills, right?**

**See you next time...**


	21. The Biting End

**This is the great finale, everyone. Ten more pages than usual, so this should be a treat. I hope. After all, it's the reason this story is getting a very late update (nearly a month since Chap 19 was posted), not to mention that this pushed to just over a year old because of my laziness and school.**

**So yay!**

**Enjoy. This chap is definitely not lacking action-wise...**

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"He's in trouble," Brownpaw muttered, immediately stopping in his tracks with his usually floppy ears erect.

Firetail halted next to him, his sodden pelt uncomfortably brushing Brownpaw's. "Who? Harescar?"

"Yes," Brownpaw replied impatiently, leaping away from the tabby and whirling around, his dark eyes scanning the rippling waters for a particular light ginger pelt. "Mouse dung, where is he?"

"Hey, I'm not that stinky. There's no need to call me that…"

Firetail's half-hearted attempt at a joke never even reached Brownpaw's ears. The dog was already halfway back the way they came, his nose twitching furiously, as it was his best tool.

The puppy grumbled loudly enough for Firetail to hear, "Help me, will you?"

He received a grunt in return and, after a few heartbeats, the broad-shouldered warrior was splashing after him.

Brownpaw's cautious wading turned into long strides and then turned into desperate leaps forward. _Lucky I can still touch the bottom, or it would take ages to swim back. _

And then he froze. He could hear little _splishes_, each in quick succession of the other, and then an exasperated hiss. "Firetail," Brownpaw barked.

The orange-tailed tomcat arrived at his side, soaked from the shoulders down. Brownpaw blinked; for a moment he'd forgotten how long his own legs had gotten. _Firetail must've had to swim that distance. _"What orders do you have for me now, Brownpaw?" Firetail mumbled, a glint of his old, somewhat daft, ferocity showing in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Brownpaw said. "I'm just an apprentice. I shouldn't be ordering you around like that."

Firetail shook himself, spraying countless droplets of lake water onto Brownpaw. The dog sighed, and Firetail smirked playfully. "I'm fine now. It's okay."

Brownpaw rolled his eyes and went on, "I need you to go back to camp and get help. I'm going to go ahead and, well, plunge into this. Hopefully the situation can stay under control until your backup arrives." He raked his gaze over Firetail's damp light brown fur, stained dull from the murky lake. Exhaustion lengthened the tom's face, and the usual light in his optics— which Furrykit had so obviously inherited— was missing. "And by StarClan, find yourself a nest. I don't care if it's on the highest tree branch, just rest."

Firetail looked over himself and laughed pathetically. "Heh, yeah, it does kind of look like I've been whipped through a hurricane more than once, eh?" He dipped his head and before he turned to go, murmured, "Good luck, Brownpaw. And may StarClan guide your path."

Once Firetail was a fair, safe distance away, Brownpaw drew a full breath of air into his lungs and thrust himself underwater.

He forced open his eyelids, convincing himself they were being pinned open by an invisible force. It took some time for his eyes to adjust to the murkiness in the watery world, but eventually he could see dark shapes thrashing just ahead.

Brownpaw paddled faster, his slender legs making circular movements as he propelled himself forward. Within moments he was in the center of the tussle.

Keeping his belly pointed toward what felt like the nonexistent lake floor, the young dog shouldered Harescar away from Minnowcloud. But his efforts were futile; it was like the ThunderClan deputy had a magnetic attraction to the gray tom, for right away the two were entangled again.

Brownpaw groaned, and backed up a bit. _Looks like I'll have to use some force to save their lives. _He threw his body forward full-force, and rammed hard into one of the toms' flanks.

There was the mildly-alarming sound of air being rushed out of lungs, and bubbles tickled Brownpaw's nose. And then the trio broke the surface.

"It might be a good idea to stay where you can _breathe_," the apprentice snapped, tail whapping the water as he dragged himself onto the shore.

The landscape, filled with pebbles and sand, was as mottled and busy as a tortoiseshell's pelt, and for a couple heartbeats Brownpaw was too dizzy to notice where Harescar and Minnowcloud had gotten to.

"This isn't a swimming lesson, lazy fox-heart!" Harescar spat, his wet fur standing up in spikes all down his spine. His smoldering amber gaze was focused on Minnowcloud, who was still paddling to shore. "Get out of there and show me what you're made of!"

"Shut your mouth," Minnowcloud muttered as he slapped his body down onto the shore. "Shut your mouth before I shut it for you!"

Harescar stupidly— even Brownpaw had to admit— stood with his mouth agape, and with the speed of diving waterfowl Minnowcloud slammed his paw down on top of the ginger cat's muzzle, leaving fresh marks. Blood glided through Harescar's orange fur, making him look more fearsome than ever.

"Hey!" Brownpaw barked, his jaws snapping as he quickly forced the words off his tongue. "Minnowcloud! Lookie over here!"

Minnowcloud's icy gaze barely even grazed over the dog. "I have no concern for you, dog," the tabby said, his head lowered. "My battle is with Harescar. It always has been, hasn't it?" Suddenly he was speaking to the ginger tom, his whiskers twitching as rapidly as a rabbit's nose.

_Well, dunk me in mud, roll me in goose feathers, and call me Streampaw, _Brownpaw thought with a prick of irritation. _He doesn't even want to give me the time of day anymore. _

"I have already apologized for my wrongdoings, Minnowcloud," Harescar hissed through his teeth. "What I don't understand is why you can't just let. It. _Go_! StarClan, it was moons ago. We were apprentices. It was- it was before—"

"Oh, before Stonepaw died?" Minnowcloud laughed. At Harescar's appalled expression, he snorted, "Forgive me, Harry. I never had siblings, so I don't realize what it is like—"

Harescar was fuming. Brownpaw winced as the deputy ran with all his might at Minnowcloud, only to be shouldered away so that he abruptly veered to the left. The orange cat fell into the lake with a simple, comic _splash_.

"Give it a rest," Brownpaw snarled, pearls of harmless yet threatening foam forming on his gums. "You are completely familiar with death. Both of your parents were killed at the paws of monsters! Y- you were so young, and were… left alone…" Eventually, the older puppy trailed off, his long legs trembling slightly as a realization dawned on him. _Until he met Skunkflight and Firetail, he had nobody. _

He wasn't even sure if the gray tabby had been listening. Minnowcloud's back was to him, and he was facing the lake as Harescar yanked himself out of the water. The deputy's fur was now molded into sharper spikes as his hackles rose once more through the layer of wetness.

Brownpaw suppressed a groan when Minnowcloud tried to shove Harescar back into the swirling depths. _It took enough effort to get them _out _of the lake, and now they're just going to go right back in— _

The apprentice squinted, trying to get his eyes to focus on the shore of the Gathering Island facing them. Yes! It was backup from ThunderClan, all more soaked than dewy grass at dawn. In the lead was, thank StarClan, Beechflight, along with three others: Rainsnow, Cherryfur, and Frostpaw.

The moment Frostpaw's optics alighted on his adoptive brother, the young tom thrashed through the water, his white pelt almost uncomfortably bright against the endless dark water.

"You look like a half-drowned rat," Brownpaw growled good-naturedly, shunting Frostpaw out of the water. The pale-furred cat shook himself thoroughly so that his fur was still flying by the time the three warriors dragged themselves onto shore.

"As do you," Frostpaw finally retorted once his pelt was of a satisfactory dryness.

"And them," Cherryfur pointed out, dipping her head at Minnowcloud and Harescar a number of fox-lengths away. Water droplets were sailing high into the air as the two tossed blow after blow in and out of the lake.

Beechflight sighed and added grimly, "They're only going to kill each other if we don't interfere soon." Brownpaw noticed that his green eyes were glistening significantly, and his heart pounded hard against his ribcage. _Something else happened. It's not just Harescar and Minnowcloud he's upset about. _

The long-legged tabby made to lunge at Minnowcloud, but Brownpaw stepped in his path, allowing Rainsnow and Cherryfur to plunge into the fight.

"Brownpaw? What's the big idea?" Beechflight grumbled. Swiftly he turned his cheek away from Brownpaw so that his face was completely hidden. There was a faint sniffle.

"Beechflight! Something else is the matter, and you're going to tell me now. It's not like there are any secrets still hidden at this point." The dog's nose twitched. _Besides Carly. _

Beechflight hesitated, then slowly turned so that he could watch Cherryfur drive back Minnowcloud and Rainsnow dive between the gray tom and Harescar, hissing in warning. Frostpaw lingered nearby as backup, watching his father with round, concerned eyes.

Brownpaw scowled into Beechflight's eyes. The one green orb he could see was still shiny, the thin fur surrounding it damp from emotion. "Beechflight," he pressed.

"Fine! Do you really want to know?" Beechflight snapped feverishly. "It's Brokenstar." He shook his head, as if he were trying to rid himself of a fly buzzing around his ears. "Somehow, she fell off the Highledge, and soon after, we found several cats missing: Harescar, Flykit, Firetail, Flashnight…" His voice broke as he continued, quieter than ever, "… by the time Firetail summoned my party, she had already lost one life, and Ratpelt was saying she was at a severe risk for losing more. Apparently she fractured something…? StarClan knows." He took a deep breath, and for a moment looked like he had more to say, but didn't.

Brownpaw's blood had frozen in his veins the moment Brokenstar's name left Beechflight's mouth. The puppy thought back to how many she'd had before her fall. _Six? So now five, or even less. _Brownpaw just wanted to dig a deep hole and hide in it for a long time. _StarClan, please keep her alive. She has kits to care for. And a Clan…_

"The Clan will be praying for her tonight," Brownpaw breathed. He pinned back his ears, and hurriedly released a throaty howl before whispering, "We'll all be."

A small number of heartbeats later, Cherryfur prowled up to them, a bedraggled Minnowcloud under her firm wing. "There isn't much fight left in him for tonight," the tortoiseshell she-cat reported. "Rainsnow's got Harescar, and Frostpaw's with them too. I suggest we take them back to camp with some distance between them."

"Excellent idea," Beechflight grunted. "I'll walk back with you and Minnowcloud. But first, we should let the other three get a head start. Brownpaw, how about you go with Rainsnow?" The pale tabby didn't give the apprentice a chance to object, and cast one final forlorn glance at him before whirling around to discuss something quietly with Cherryfur.

Brownpaw trudged back to where Rainsnow and Frostpaw were gradually calming down the deputy. The gray-and-white she-cat was stroking her tail down his spine while Frostpaw tried to cheer him up: "Flashnight returned Flykit safely to camp, in case you were wondering!" "Ratpelt will tend to those wounds. Your pain will disappear in no time." "Batkit is well, too! He's probably just waking up now."

Brownpaw stepped up to them and discreetly told the two level-headed cats the game plan.

"Alright, Harescar," Rainsnow mewed, cutting off another one of Frostpaw's remarks with a grateful glance. "We're going to walk back to camp now."

The disgruntled tom rose to his paws without assistance and began to stride forward. Brownpaw took this chance to get a better look at him. Harescar's raised hackles were still in spikes from his numerous plunges, and tipped with dried blood at the ends. A few scratches and only a couple of somewhat-deep gashes covered his ruffled, filthy pelt. Luckily, Minnowcloud hadn't succeeded in reopening Harescar's infamous scar, although the blood that mottled the fur around the old injury indicated the gray tabby's desperate attempts to inflict harm.

Brownpaw shuddered, now noticing the cold lake water seeping into his bones, and the exhaustion nearly sweeping him off his paws. _Not to mention what we'll have to face when we get home. Who knows what his reaction will be when he sees her right back in the medicine den…_

**OoOoO**

"Papa!" Flykit squeaked, her legs splayed out each time she leaped as she scrambled toward Harescar.

The touch of absentness in his amber gaze immediately fizzed into nonexistence by the time she was bouncing at his feet. "Hello there, my sweet," he purred, touching his nose with hers for a while. When she pulled away, too jittery to stay still for long, he muttered, "Aren't you still tired? It can't have been too long since Flashnight brought you back—"

"Papa, you're hurt," Flykit whined, her sunshine-colored eyes expanding as she took in the state of Harescar's matted coat.

Brownpaw wished he could plug his nose, for the thick and salty tang of blood hung in the air, strong and horrendous. _A kit shouldn't be subjected to this. _

Like she had read his thoughts, Hopepuddle shuffled forward and gathered Flykit in her long, winding tail. "Come with me, dear," she cooed to the little she-kit. "Your papa will need to rest before he can play with you again."

Harescar lifted his chin, watching the dappled queen take away his daughter for a moment. Then he asked gruffly about Batkit's whereabouts.

"Beats me," Brownpaw replied. Realizing how thoughtless that sounded, he continued, "Though I have no doubt he's safely nestled somewhere."

"Harescar," Frostpaw said, stepping in front of the orange deputy. "I'm afraid there's news. And there is no other place to put it than in the bad news category."

**OoOoO**

"How many lives does she have now?" Harescar croaked. He sat hunched over the brown-furred ThunderClan leader, his paws churning the moss of his mate's nest. He hardly seemed to notice Ratpelt and Marigoldkit weaving to and fro past him as they tended to his wounds.

Brownpaw's muzzle curled downwards gloomily. _Those scratches from Minnowcloud are the least of his concerns now. _

"Four," Ratpelt grunted, his amber orbs glittering with sorrow. At first, Brownpaw hadn't even understood what he had said because of the herbs that he gripped in his jaws. But when the dog had thought the single word over, an unsettling chill came over him. It was like when the lake's surface had been above him during his brief time underwater. _You feel trapped, helpless… _He stared at Brokenstar, while Harescar refused to peel his eyes off of her. _We all do. _

Marigoldkit trotted up to the ginger cat and smeared yet another bitter-smelling poultice onto a scratch on his shoulder. Brownpaw registered a little jolt when he observed that she could reach that high without Harescar having to lean down. _She's grown so much! _

Harescar's head turned away from Brokenstar for the first time in a while, and he watched as Marigoldkit dabbed the last of the mixture on the minor infliction.

"What—" he started, but Marigoldkit was already ahead of him, or so she thought.

"It's just a small scratch, but I thought it would be best if I got some healing poultice in there before it scabs over. The chervil and horsetail should help prevent infection, and I suggest you sleep with some dock in your nest to soothe your wounds. Don't try to eat it, though— it has a nasty taste to it."

Harescar smiled weakly. "Thank you, Marigoldkit. Although I doubt I'll be getting much snooze-time in the next few quarter-moons." He paused. "Actually, I was going to ask you what your age is now."

Brownpaw's tongue flopped out of his mouth as Marigoldkit answered casually, clueless as to what Harescar was implying. "Orangekit, Furrykit, and I are all six moons…" she hesitated, thinking hard. "… er, today, or was it yesterday?"

Harescar rose abruptly to his paws, and began to shunt Marigoldkit out of the den. "That's good enough for me. Get on out there, Marigoldkit. And find your parents and brothers and tell them there's to be a ceremony right this moment."

As a very confused Marigoldkit scurried off, the deputy twisted back to face Ratpelt, who was hovering in the entrance of his den. He always seemed to be keeping one eye on Brokenstar, and for good reason. "You come out here too, Ratpelt. Brokenstar will be fine. She- she'll understand. You're becoming a mentor tonight."

Ratpelt bounded out of the den, and the downcast mood in the air seemed to temporarily evaporate; Brokenstar would be fine. She was just taking a long nap. Four lives? Pffft, she would live them out just like any other leader. Brownpaw was sure of it.

"Thank you, Harescar," Ratpelt purred. "But just so you know, it's nearly sunhigh now."

**OoOoO**

"ThunderClan, I present to you the newly-named Orangepaw, Marigoldpaw, and Furrypaw," Harescar yowled, his groomed orange fur gleaming as he climbed down from the Highledge. He surveyed the trio of jittery young cats before him. "Before I can apprentice the two cats who wish to learn the ways of a warrior, I have to announce who Marigoldpaw's mentor will be."

He hesitated, and there were a few murmurs, but it was obvious to everybody what the plans were. Brownpaw smirked as Ratpelt shuffled forward a couple more paces, amber eyes huge.

"Ratpelt, I have not a single breath of doubt that you will be an extraordinary trainer of Marigoldpaw. And to be honest, you already have been. ThunderClan has long appreciated the education you received from Briarlight, and your mentoring of an intelligent young cat has been long overdue. I wish you both many moons of healthy partnership."

The pair touched noses, and Harescar glided right along to stand in front of Orangepaw. "Orangepaw, for you Brokenstar and I have chosen a tomcat with just as acute a sense of adventure as you." He glanced out into the crowd. "Leopardtooth, you will be mentor to Orangepaw."

The two touched noses, Leopardtooth sticking out his tongue at Sandpebble as he sat back down with the new 'paw.

Harescar parted his jaws to, of course, appoint a mentor to Furrypaw, but all of a sudden he froze and stared at a point past the mottled tom. Furrypaw looked mortified, as if there was something unpresentable about him to the deputy.

But instead the ginger tom rasped, "Brokenstar—" He made a move toward her, but she lifted her tail, the bags under her eyes barely noticeable over how bright her yellow optics shined.

"Don't you dare interrupt this ceremony for me," Brokenstar whispered. Brownpaw ran his gaze over her, and whimpered slightly. Her usually-plumy tail now didn't even have the thickness of a feather. In fact, her entire outside was bedraggled, probably just as torn up as her inside was. "I just have one request," the leader mewed. She looked straight at her mate. "Make yourself the mentor of Furrypaw. There is no better match." She melted back into the den, and left the Clan baffled.

Except for Harescar. He immediately thundered, "Furrypaw, as per the request of the leader of ThunderClan, I will mentor you and lead you along the path of a successful warrior." He inclined his head and tapped his nose against the brown-and-white tomcat's. Furrypaw appeared to have been struck speechless.

Brownpaw snorted. Everything Harescar just said couldn't have been any cornier, but it was fitting just the same.

**OoOoO**

Brownpaw groaned as he stretched his legs out— well, not really. He couldn't completely unfold his long limbs all the way without them hitting the wall of the apprentices' den. He tossed himself over to the other side, and found himself muzzle-to-muzzle with Frostpaw.

"You can't sleep, either?" the white tom whispered.

Brownpaw blinked in surprise, reeling back from the blue eyes he had expected to be closed. "Uh, um, yeah. I'm just too big for this den, but it's too freezing to sleep out there."

"True that. Your pelt is about as thick as a leaf, and the winds outside could literally bite through my skin." Frostpaw shuddered. "Might as well rename me Windburn at our warrior ceremony."

"Which isn't that far away," Brownpaw pointed out, his tail thumping the ground joyfully.

Frostpaw beamed. "I'm so relieved that Brokenstar will be able to announce our new names. Nothing against Harescar, but it just seems more real when it's the actual leader preforming the ceremony."

The dog nodded. "I understand." _Though I don't completely agree. At least Harescar can climb up on the Highledge; meanwhile Brokenstar seems to have an unspoken, though explainable, fear of heights now. But she _can_ speak loud enough for every cat to hear now. _

The twelve-moon-old apprentices simultaneously squeezed their optics shut in another desperate attempt to catch even a couple of Z's. _It's just too difficult. How are we supposed to sleep when we have no idea if we've passed our final assessments yet?_

In the two moons since the fiasco with Minnowcloud, Clan life had been running smoothly. Harescar and Minnowcloud were always a good distance from each other, but both were resettling into the usual patrols and such. Beechflight's kits, as well as Batkit and Flykit, were over halfway to being named apprentices. And all of the current apprentices were working hard as ever. Brokenstar had mostly recovered, and yet still her injured leg wasn't quite… _right_.

In just a matter of heartbeats, all of that came crashing down to nothing. To dust.

Brownpaw was jerked awake, and then yanked out of his nest with surprising strength by none other than Harescar. "Minnowcloud just ran out of camp. We have to see what he's up to."

Unfortunately, Frostpaw stirred again behind the dog. "He probably just went to make dirt…?" he suggested lamely with a yawn.

"Doubt it," Harescar shot back tartly before slipping out of the den. Brownpaw took it as a signal that he had approximately ten heartbeats before he'd be dragged out of there by one floppy ear.

"Ugh, how am I even supposed to find something to disguise my scent? It's leaf-bare and the middle of the night," Brownpaw complained, shaking out each of his legs before trotting out of the den.

Frostpaw trailed him. "The frost and snow-scent will easily numb anybody's nose. You'll be impossible to smell at this point."

Brownpaw paused, halfway across the clearing. "Frostpaw, are you coming too?"

"Well, there's no way I'm falling asleep again now that I know Harescar is stalking my father once more. Might as well see what the ol' troublemaker's up to, eh?" The pale-furred tom then brushed past Brownpaw, whisper-calling over his shoulder, "Well, are you coming or not?"

**OoOoO**

The three males plunged into the undergrowth, Harescar naturally leading the way.

Brownpaw stuck out his tongue until it was surely coated in frost. "How can he catch a scent trail?"

"StarClan knows," Frostpaw replied.

They pushed onward for a while, not heading in any particular direction from what Brownpaw could tell. After some time, the dappled dog noticed that they were curving up towards non-Clan territory. "I suppose Minnowcloud's planning to go rogue?"

Harescar only spat in response, to which Frostpaw and Brownpaw exchanged blinking glances.

They padded onward, and after eons Brownpaw vaguely noticed that they were passing over the scent-markers. _Why in StarClan's name have we gone this deep into the wilderness? _

Finally, Brownpaw noticed something interesting just ahead of them. It almost looked like the edge of the world was right there; just a quick drop-off, and that was it. Brownpaw's heart gave an extra-hard pound in his chest. _It's a cliff! _He tensed, and willed Harescar to stop right there. He couldn't dare to speak— it was too risky now. _This is a trap! He's going to lead us clear off the cliff. _

"Cats have died here," Harescar remarked nonchalantly, as if they were chatting about how the prey was running. He flicked his tail at, sure enough, the dreaded cliff.

"Harescar, we need to get away from here," Brownpaw grunted urgently, but he already knew that he hadn't enunciated clearly enough.

A dark shape hurtled forward out of the bushes, slamming with flawless aim into Harescar's flank.

"Minnowcloud!" Brownpaw snarled. He didn't hesitate to add his heavy weight on top of the mass of wrestling toms. He had completely forgotten about the stricken Frostpaw behind him.

They edged closer and closer to the cliff-face. Brownpaw's nerves buzzed inside of him like crazy, and instinct begged him to get a safe amount of fox-lengths away from the edge. _I'm not leaving Harescar prey to him. _

"I didn't exile you," Harescar was meowing with his dripping muzzle pressed firmly against Minnowcloud's. "Because I wanted to give you one last chance. Can you not once meet my expectations? Fulfill my hopes that maybe you're not all-bad?"

Minnowcloud didn't say a word. He just pushed Harescar closer and closer to the edge. Brownpaw jumped back into the fray, and blindly pushed one cat away from the other.

But then there was no longer any ground under his forepaws.

"Get away!" he yelped. "You're going to fall off!"

His warning came too late. There was already somebody clinging to the edge. Blue eyes glinted in the blinding sunlight, sharp as an eagle's gaze. Minnowcloud.

Brownpaw scrabbled backwards, and was able to breathe again once all four of his feet were on solid earth. Harescar was safe as well, but still Minnowcloud gripped the cliff-face.

"Get away!" Brownpaw repeated to the gray tabby. "Just pull yourself up and y- you'll be fine."

"Perhaps if I could get some help—" Minnowcloud grunted, though a hint of fear showed through his gruff tune. "— I could _get _up."

A heaving body pushed past Brownpaw's, and he gasped as Frostpaw stopped at his father's forepaws. "Minnowcloud!" Frostpaw panted. "W- what do I do?"

Anger fizzed in every part of Brownpaw's body when Minnowcloud adjusted his expression to one of fake softness. But it looked just real enough for poor naïve Frostpaw to buy it.

"You must help me, Frostpaw, please! I'm your father… and I'm so, _so _sorry," Minnowcloud muttered to Frostpaw. His words contained as much meaning as a pile of rocks, but again Frostpaw was convinced. The white tom took each of his father's forepaws in his own and began to drag the deceitful gray tabby back to safety.

Brownpaw wasn't about to let Minnowcloud fall to his death. _But Frostpaw shouldn't be blindly fooled like this, either. He'll only be crushed later. _

"Frostpaw," he said, creeping up to his adoptive brother in a way that wouldn't startle him. "You have to let go."

"What?" Frostpaw shook his head vigorously. "I can't just let him die. He's my father."

"Right," Minnowcloud chimed in.

Brownpaw resisted a habit of scowling at him, and instead focused on Frostpaw only. "Harescar and I will help him. But please, don't put this strain on yourself—"

Harescar thrust himself between the two, and meowed to Frostpaw, "Out of the way. I'll take care of him."

Before Frostpaw could protest, Harescar had Minnowcloud's paws in his.

"No, you're going to let him die!" Frostpaw cried as Brownpaw gently nudged the white cat away from the dangerous scene.

"You have to understand, Frostpaw. One misstep and your life could be lost, too. Harescar's going to take the risk of pulling Minnowcloud up because he has more strength."

His words went in one ear and right out the other. Frostpaw strained violently against Brownpaw's hold, but the dog wasn't about to budge. _If he died because of Minnowcloud, I would never forgive myself for letting him go. _

Harescar was holding Minnowcloud's forepaws down with all of his strength while he leaned forward to take the well-muscled tom's scruff in his jaws.

"What are you doing? Get your slobber off of me!" Minnowcloud snarled, writhing away from his adversary. Brownpaw could hear pebbles skittering around his dangling hind legs.

"For StarClan's sake, would you rather die than let me help you?" Harescar snapped, leaning back for a moment to glare with unfiltered hatred at him.

There was a lengthy stretch of silence. And then Minnowcloud looked straight up at Harescar. Unhurriedly, he filled his lungs with air. "Yes," he said simply. "I'm not letting a piece of fox-dung scum like you save my life." He freed one paw of Harescar's, swiped it across the ginger tom's cheek.

Harescar hissed in pain and stumbled backwards.

His last restraint on Minnowcloud was eliminated.

The last Brownpaw saw of the half-RiverClan warrior was a flailing, ash-colored paw.

And then he was gone.

**OoOoO**

"ThunderClan, we gather today for one of the most intriguing ceremonies in Clan history," Brokenstar mewed, her tail curled neatly around her paws as she sat in the shadow of the Highledge. Her crippled leg stuck out awkwardly against her otherwise neat posture.

A quarter-moon since Minnowcloud's death. And still Brownpaw could only see that waving gray paw, every time he closed his eyes.

"… These apprentices have remained dedicated to their training, and survived a number of hardships, to reach this point. They are more prepared and ready to be named warriors than any other apprentices I've ever had the privilege of promoting."

Brownpaw tried to focus on her lightning-yellow eyes. But the gray paw fogged his vision, and Brokenstar's slim form was lost to him once more.

"Brownpaw, Frostpaw, Streampaw, do you all promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

_Even at the cost of your life. _

All three were silent. And then Frostpaw spoke in the least excited tone Brownpaw had ever heard the white tom use: "I do."

Streampaw's "I do" came right after. It was like he had been waiting for someone to say something first. Dependent.

Finally Brownpaw spoke something garbled that didn't sound remotely like "I do." It was as if his tongue had been stung by a bee. But it was fine enough for Brokenstar.

"Then by the powers of the almighty StarClan, I shall grant you your warrior names. Frostpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Frostbite. Streampaw, from now on you will be called Streamclaw. And Brownpaw… your new name is Brownpelt. StarClan honors all of your courage, bravery, respect, and intelligence in serving your Clan so far. I'm sure it will only look better from here. We welcome you as full warriors of ThunderClan. Congratulations."

Brownpelt didn't even hesitate in looking in Frostbite's direction.

But he was already walking away.

* * *

**Hmm, that was... interesting I guess.**

**Look for the first chapter of THE CANINE WARRIOR, coming soon to a theater I mean fanfic archive near you!**

**Adios, mi amigos. Thank you so much for all of the love and support.**

**-Mossy**


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